A Different Kind of Vampire
by Patient Harmony
Summary: Part of HCSS. In a world overrun by vampires, Lovino escaped his life as a slave to them, only to run into Vlad, a vampire who's very different from the others. And he would do anything to protect Lovino while fighting the demons of his own past.
1. Prologue

**This is just a prologue setting up the stage. The story begins next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Prologue**

On 17 June 2016, disaster struck the world. It was as though the creatures of darkness, the living dead, decided that they had enough of hiding in the shadows. It was time for _them_ to rule the world.

In the first night, five hundred million people lost their lives, and ten thousand of those gained new lives as vampires. Humanity's population took a dive, and continued to do so in the year that followed.

Governments, armies and even terrorist groups had tried to put a stop to everything that was happening, but it was all in vain. They were useless against the vampires, and it wasn't uncommon for vampires to take control of entire cities, controlling the lives of every human that dwelled there.

Some vampires had gotten in the habit of taking humans prisoner, keeping them as slaves, pets or _toys_. These humans begged for death to come, since it would be preferable to the lives they were subjected to.

 **I know, it's short. But the actual chapters will be around 3000 words each.**

 **17 June is actually my birthday, so I chose this day.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks to LordAlucard, MeiPhantomhive, ScandinavianTrash and Forever Prosperous for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 1**

"Come on," Lovino muttered.

Lovino Vargas had been living as a slave to three vampires for months. He was malnourished, and there were bruises visible on his skin and bags under his eyes. Puncture wounds decorated his skin, some old while others were no older than a few hours. He was pale and there was a layer of grime on his skin.

But that didn't stop him from trying to pick the locks.

He was glad that one of his captors was one of those froufrou types. When the Frenchman had ordered him to his room to feed, Lovino had taken the chance and grabbed a few hairpins that were in the room. And he had waited until dawn had arrived, forcing the vampires to sleep.

He had already managed to break out of his cuffs and his cell. Now he just had the front door to worry about.

He almost cried tears of joy when the lock clicked, and he pushed the door open.

He squinted as he was exposed to sunlight for the first time in months. It felt so wonderful. So warm and inviting.

He looked towards the sky and shivered. He only had a few more hours before sunset, and he intended to be as far away as possible before that happened.

Looking behind him one last time, he shot his middle finger before he turned and ran.

…

Lovino had been running for a few hours. He was hungry, tired and thirsty. And to make things worse, it was twilight. Soon the sun would set, and the vampires would be on him.

He had been grateful when he saw a town, but after a few minutes of walking he realised that it was a ghost town. No one in sight. Well, no one _human_. If nightfall came, he would be able to find out if vampires dwelt in this town.

He couldn't hide in any of the abandoned houses, seeing the doors torn off their hinges or windows completely shattered from their frames. The buildings would do nothing to hide his scent. He didn't want to be a slave to vampires again. He never wanted to feel their fangs sliding through his skin, allowing his blood to flow freely into their mouths as he cried.

Lovino shook his head of the thought, and sighed in relief when he saw what appeared to be an old church. The doors and windows seemed to be intact, and he wondered if he would be safe in there.

He walked up the steps, looking behind him to see the sky being decorated in a pallet of pinks and oranges, while the other side of the sky had a canvas of dark blue. He didn't have any more time left.

He sighed, before he opened the doors of the church. His breath hitched slightly at the darkness, but he pushed aside his panic and stepped inside, closing the door behind him and plunging him even further into darkness.

He gazed in awe at the beautiful stained glass windows that seemed to be illuminated. At the altar he saw a large cross, and he was reminded of the past few months. He had prayed and begged, but after a while he felt as though his prayers fell on deaf ears.

But that wasn't odd to him. Humans didn't care about him, so why would God? Vampires were the only ones that cared about him, and only because of his blood. Apparently, he had very delicious blood.

"Why am I even here?" Lovino muttered. "Why was I even put on this earth? To be the slave of a group of sadistic vampire bastards? To be nothing more than their _pet_ , their _toy_? Why did you leave me there alone? Were my prayers not enough?"

He could feel months of feeling abandoned, worthless and alone catching up on him.

"It couldn't be all I was destined for," Lovino said. "So why? Why did you let me get captured in the first place? And why couldn't you just let me die there?"

There was no answer, not that he had expected one. Tears streamed down his face, and he could feel his hands trembling. Years' worth of insecurities finally caught up on him, amplified by the ordeal he had gone through the past few months.

He jumped slightly when he heard a door opening, and he expected the worst. He looked over towards the open door, waiting for whoever to make their appearance known. If it was a vampire, then maybe this one would be merciful and kill him.

But after waiting a while without anyone coming through the door, curiosity won out over Lovino's fear. He walked closer, keeping his hands on the pews. It was growing darker, and he didn't want to bump into anything.

He finally reached the door and walked inside. It was dark, and he started to feel around for the light switch. He continued feeling along the walls, going deeper into the room. He jumped and let out a yelp when the door closed behind him, plunging him even further into darkness.

He took a moment to calm his breathing, before walking deeper into the room. Perhaps there was a light bulb with a string attached, and he should pull that in order to illuminate the room.

He moved slowly, trying to be careful. But that didn't change anything as he bumped his shin against something.

Letting out a few words that one should really not utter in a church, he felt the object to try to determine what it was. Only to feel himself pale.

The wood was smooth, and after some investigating he found that there was a lid. And the object was large. It felt like…

A coffin.

Letting out a cry of dismay, Lovino tried to find his way back to the door, trying to leave the room. He felt around frantically, but could feel no handle or knob.

And then came a sound that Lovino was dreading since the moment he realised what the object was.

The lid of the coffin was opening.

…

When Antonio awoke, he immediately felt that something was wrong. He went to the cell where they kept their prisoner, only to find it empty and the scent being staler than it should be.

He growled, following the scent to the front door, and he snarled when he saw it was open.

"Well then, Lovi," Antonio growled. "Looks like Boss would need to discipline you again. Francis! Gilbert! Looks like we need to do some hunting."

…

Lovino had sunk to the ground, curling up with his knees against his chest and arms wrapped around his head. He was going to die, he was sure of it. But no matter how reassuring that was, he still couldn't shake off his fear.

He let out a gasp of shock when the room was suddenly illuminated, and he looked around to see that the room used candles instead of electric lighting. That would explain why he couldn't find a light switch.

It didn't take long for his eyes to be drawn to the figure sitting inside the coffin, looking at him with a strange expression.

The vampire had red eyes, but unlike Gilbert's eyes which looked like spilt blood, this vampire's eyes looked like bright rubies. He also had strawberry blond hair and a small top hat perched on top of his head. His face looked kind of boyish, and Lovino knew that it would make this vampire even scarier if he decided to attack.

Lovino closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

He gasped when he felt cold fingertips against his temples, and he saw everything that happened in the last year flashing through his mind. He trembled, his fear amplified by the onslaught of memories.

When the cold fingers were removed, the memories stopped, and Lovino cracked an eye open to see the vampire looking towards him with a sad expression on his face. This confused Lovino, but he didn't dare let down his guard.

"A vampire outbreak," the vampire whispered. "Looks like I've _really_ been asleep for a long time. But you don't have to worry." Lovino closed his eyes when the vampire started to stroke his hair. "I don't feed from humans. I have no reason to."

The Italian opened his eyes again to regard the vampire. He sounded a lot like the stereotypical vampire, and he wondered if he should believe him.

"Are you hungry?" the vampire asked. "When was the last time you ate?"

Lovino curled up tighter, holding onto his empty stomach.

The vampire sighed, before he moved away. Lovino watched as he went to a desk on the far side of the room, taking a plate that rested there, as well as a goblet. The vampire took a cloth and cleaned the dust from the objects before placing them on the desk. The vampire muttered something, and Lovino saw the other's hands glow.

He heard that there were vampires that could use magic. They tended to be physically weaker than other vampires, but still stronger than a human. And their magic only made them more dangerous.

"The priest left these here for me, in case I woke up and wanted something sweet to eat," the vampire explained. "But I think you need this more than I do."

The vampire turned, carrying the plate and goblet over towards Lovino. The Italian's eyes widened when he saw the bread on the plate, and the scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the room. His stomach started to twist at the smell.

The vampire offered the plate to him, and Lovino took it with shaky hands. He looked up towards the vampire hesitantly before breaking off a piece of the bread. He popped it into his mouth and his eyes widened at the heavenly taste. It was as though it came from heaven's bakery.

"Do you like it?" the vampire asked. "I'm afraid I don't do that very often."

Lovino nodded, and the vampire gave the goblet towards him. He expected wine or something, but seeing the clear, odourless liquid, he knew that the vampire had given him water. Not that he was complaining.

He swallowed some of the water, and his eyes widened. It was the purest water he had ever drunk. He kept drinking and drinking, and he wondered why the water didn't seem to run out.

"Careful," the vampire said. "Your stomach needs to get used to food and water again. You went too long without proper nourishment. The goblet won't run out of water unless I tell it to."

Lovino took the goblet away from his mouth, before he started to eat the bread again.

"What's your name?" the vampire asked.

Lovino swallowed, wondering if he should tell the vampire. If he could trust him. Finally, he decided that he had nothing to lose and looked up into the vampire's red eyes.

"My name is Lovino Vargas," he said.

"Vargas?" the vampire repeated. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Romulus, would you?"

Lovino blinked in surprise.

"You know my nonno?" he asked.

"Da. He really likes the women, and he's kind of an airhead, but he's pretty nice."

"…Si, that's him. How do you know him?"

The vampire's expression darkened, and Lovino cowered, afraid that he had said something wrong.

"It doesn't matter," the vampire said. "Just know that Romulus Vargas is one of the few that I don't hate. I would do nothing to harm his grandson. My name is Vlad Lupenesku, by the way."

Lovino couldn't help but smile. That was probably the most stereotypical name for a vampire, with the most stereotypical accent. Vlad smiled as well.

"I'm glad to see that they didn't break you," Vlad said.

Lovino looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, before feeling annoyed.

"Did you… read my mind?" Lovino demanded.

Vlad rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, avoiding the Italian's eyes.

"Well… I wanted to know what was going on, and you were scared of me," Vlad said. "I've been sleeping since 1997, and this was the fastest, and easiest, way to learn about what happened."

Lovino's eyes widened. The vampire was asleep for twenty years? And didn't he…?

Seeing Lovino start to tremble, Vlad sighed.

"I don't need to feed," he said. "I'm… not your typical vampire. You have nothing to fear from me."

Lovino looked down, biting his lip.

"How can I trust you?" Lovino whispered.

Vlad frowned for a moment, before his face lit up, as though he had a bright idea. He went back to the coffin and seemed to rummage around, before producing something that made Lovino's eyes widen in disbelief.

"I thought vampires couldn't touch that," he said as Vlad brought the object closer.

"Religious artefacts only affect vampires that are younger than the particular religion," Vlad said, shrugging. "And I was around since before Christianity."

Vlad held the object to him. It was a rosary, the beads in the seven colours of the rainbow. The cross itself had a rainbow of gemstones. It was beautiful.

"It was a gift from an old friend," Vlad explained. "I think you should have it."

Lovino cupped his hands, and Vlad slowly dropped the rosary into them. When Lovino held it closer to inspect it, he saw that there was an inscription on the back. It read 'Vargas'.

"You really _did_ know my nonno, didn't you?" Lovino asked.

Vlad smiled and nodded, and Lovino slipped the rosary around his neck.

"Does that mean that… God is real?" Lovino asked.

"Um… no," Vlad said. "Angels are, though. What you humans call 'God' is actually just the king of angels. Not my favourite person, just so you know. And angels are behind most religions on earth, to be honest."

"But… why?"

"Because, keep in mind, if angels are real, then so are demons," Vlad sighed. "When they realised that human faith provides a means to defend against demons, they spread religion in order to give humans a chance to fight back. And to give themselves some ammo."

"Didn't help us after the outbreak."

Vlad sighed, before he stood.

"I need to take a look around outside," he said. "I just need to gain perspective. Will you wait for me here?"

Lovino nodded, and Vlad smiled warmly.

"I don't think it's coincidence that you found me," Vlad said. "Call it fate, or perhaps divine intervention. The door swung open for you, right? And it closed behind you."

"What are you saying?" Lovino demanded.

"Twenty years ago, when I first came to sleep here, I locked the door from the inside." Vlad took a key that was hidden in his trench coat and turned it. "And it still was, up until now."

Lovino was surprised by the revelation, and as Vlad left, he couldn't help but wonder about it.

…

Vlad sighed, walking a ways out of the room, his eyes closed. He had seen everything that the boy had been through in the past few months, and it brought him great pain to have witnessed that.

He opened his eyes to find that someone was waiting for him, clothed in white and with the wings to match.

"I'm beginning to wonder about your kind's priorities after seeing what he's been going through for the past few months," Vlad said. "Especially considering he's your grandson and all."

Romulus sighed, fluttering his wings nervously.

"I wanted to get him out so many times," Romulus said. "But… Have you felt what it's like outside?"

"What does that have to do with you abandoning your grandson to those vampires?"

"Come outside and I'll show you."

Vlad frowned, before following the angel outside.

Immediately he felt what Romulus was talking about. The air was stifling, though he wasn't really affected by it. The angel, on the other hand, _was_.

"The vampires managed to tip the scales," Romulus said. "Angels can't be here for too long. It's only a matter of time before the demons decide to take over."

"And you're telling me this, because…?" Vlad prompted.

Romulus sighed.

"I can't be around for my grandsons," he said. "And you're the only person I trust with the way things are now. Just… please, protect them."

Vlad stared at him for a moment before he sighed.

"You have others, I presume?" Vlad asked.

"Si. Feliciano and Marcello. I've been keeping an eye on them."

"And what about Lovino?"

Romulus flinched, and looked away.

"Do you remember Perosia?" Romulus asked.

"It's that demon you're always picking a fight with, isn't it?"

"Si. Well, several months ago, he managed to curse me. That curse makes it impossible for me to go near my grandsons. And then he made sure that Lovi was out in the open where vampires could get him. I _wanted_ to save him, but I couldn't. I literally couldn't. And I still can't. I can only watch from a distance. That's why I'm asking _you_ to protect them. Please?"

Vlad sighed, running a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes, and his thoughts drifted to Lovino, who was still pretty scared of him.

"Alright," he said at last. "But I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for _him_ , got it?"

"Si! Grazie, and…"

Romulus froze, his eyes wide. Vlad's eyes narrowed, before he also felt something nearby. He turned his attention to the far left, where he could sense three vampiric presences.

"It's them," Romulus whispered. "It's the ones that hurt Lovi. They've been tracking him."

…

Lovino sighed, thinking about Vlad. The vampire seemed so nice, and had even given him a rosary. But could he be trusted?

Lovino had always had difficulty trusting humans, and after what he suffered at the hands of vampires, he wasn't sure he was willing to put his faith in one that seemed so different.

He stood, thinking that he might slip away, but he yelped when the door was opened again. Vlad stood there, his eyes wide.

"We need to get you out of here," he said, grabbing Lovino's wrist. "Come with me."

Lovino tried to protest, but Vlad dragged him outside, only to suddenly stop. The Italian grumbled, looking over the vampire's shoulder, only to clutch onto him with fear.

It was _them_.

"There you are, Lovi," Antonio said. "We've been looking for you."


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks to Lovesbugsalot, Ariaprincess, ScandinavianTrash and Crimson cat angel for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 2**

Lovino trembled as soon as he saw the three vampires that tormented him. He wondered briefly if Vlad had intended to give him to them, at least until he nudged him behind him, shielding him with his body.

He glanced to his tormentors to see that all three of them looked hostile, and that they were glaring at Vlad. Lovino gripped the other's coat out of fear.

"We'll be taking our human back now," Gilbert said, walking forward.

"I don't believe he's _your_ human anymore," Vlad calmly stated. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving."

"Do you really think you can just walk away with our property?" Francis asked. "In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered. Now give him to us, and things won't get ugly."

"But that's what you want, isn't it?" Vlad asked. "Or at least, that's what your friends are hoping for. The Teutonic Knight and the conquistador. I know that you two at least are hoping for a fight."

Antonio and Gilbert looked surprised, and Francis arched an intrigued eyebrow.

"You know who we are, I presume?" Francis asked.

"Of course," Vlad responded. "The Bad Touch Trio. A trio of vampires notorious for sexually abusing their victims."

Lovino's breath hitched, and he tightened his grasp on Vlad's coat. He had hoped that Vlad didn't know about that. He had hoped that no one found out.

"Well," Antonio said, "you know who we are, but we don't know who you are."

"I tend to keep my presence quiet," Vlad said. "I don't need to have a title or reputation to boost my ego."

"So in other words, you're either really young or really low on the food chain," Gilbert said.

"Be careful of making assumptions," Vlad said. "It might just end badly for you."

Lovino didn't know what to think. The words and even the tone used were casual, but the four vampires were tense, as though they were waiting for someone to pounce first. And the Italian knew the odds were stacked against Vlad. It was three against one, and since Vlad used magic, he would most likely be weaker than the other three. Somehow, he didn't want anything to happen to this vampire.

"Just give us back the human, and things won't get ugly," Antonio said. "We'll even let you have a bite."

"Thanks, but I have no intention to drink this human's blood," Vlad said.

"You're not like those lame vampires that humans used to write about, are you?" Gilbert asked. "The ones that would rather feed on animal blood than humans'?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but no."

"Look, just give him to us," Francis said. "Since apparently you have no need for him."

"Need has nothing to do with it. You are not getting near him again."

"Are you sure you're even a vampire?" Gilbert asked. "Because if you are, then you're a freak of nature."

"It doesn't matter," Antonio said. "He's weak. We can easily take our pet back."

Vlad inclined his head so that he could see Lovino out of the corner of his eye. The Italian's attention was immediately drawn towards Vlad.

"When they start moving, I want you to run towards the cross," Vlad said.

Lovino looked over towards the large cross near the altar and nodded his head. He subconsciously gripped the rosary around his neck.

"Looks like we get some fun in," Gilbert said.

Antonio and Gilbert suddenly moved at a speed that no human could accomplish. Lovino stumbled when Vlad pushed him towards the cross, but he quickly regained his footing and ran towards it. Vlad then moved so that he was in the way of the two vampires, and managed to grab both of them by their arms and pushed them to the ground, twisting their arms behind their backs.

"I should probably have mentioned that one of the people I hate the most is very fond of war, and has been present for just about every war in human history," Vlad said. "If you're going to start a fight with someone like that, make sure that you can _continue_ the fight."

Lovino had managed to reach the cross, and he was watching the scene with wide eyes. He had experienced first-hand how strong Antonio and Gilbert were, and to see Vlad pin them down so easily…

Lovino cringed when he heard two popping sounds, followed by pained screams. Well, it would seem Vlad had dislocated their shoulders. Not that Lovino felt sorry for them or anything.

Vlad released the two vampires' arms, looking towards Francis, who looked as though he was about to pounce on Vlad himself.

"I know what you are," Vlad said. "A 'sanguine souven'. A vampire that can examine one's memories by drinking their blood. Are you hoping to do that to _me_?"

Lovino's eyes widened. If that was true, given how many times Francis drank his blood… How much did he know?

Francis's mouth curled in a snarl. He stepped forward slowly.

"You seem to be well informed, mon ami," Francis said. "How did you know of my talent?"

Vlad smirked.

"By the way you had your fangs elongate the moment I told you that I have no title," Vlad explained. "Your curiosity was piqued, and you wish to know more. But are you sure that's wise?"

"And why wouldn't it be?" Francis asked.

Vlad smirked, before he bit into his wrist. He held up the bleeding wrist for the French vampire to see, who took a nervous step back, eyes wide.

Vlad's blood wasn't red, but rather silver.

"How is that possible?" Francis asked.

Vlad said nothing, but allowed some of it to drip onto Gilbert's skin. The vampire immediately hissed, shrinking away.

"So, your blood is toxic to vampires," Francis said. "You're going to be tricky. And I find it hard to believe that you don't have a title."

Vlad smirked.

"Only a few have given me titles, but what they are and who gave them to me, you'll need to find out on your own."

"It won't matter," Antonio said, before he leapt up, his arm having had time to heal.

Vlad managed to block the Spaniard, and threw him towards the door. Francis's eyes widened before he stepped out of the way, and Antonio collided with the wooden door.

Vlad then turned to regard Gilbert, who was trying to get closer to Lovino, who kept his eyes on him, speechless. Vlad snarled, before he picked Gilbert up by the back of the shirt and threw him as well.

"I seem to recall you thinking that I was weak," Vlad taunted.

The other three vampires snarled, and Antonio and Gilbert made their way to their feet.

"You know, we still don't know your name," Gilbert said. "It's rude, you know?"

Vlad cocked his head to the side, seeming to think it over.

"I'd rather not," Vlad said. "You can never be too sure who might spread the word."

"Why, do you have any enemies?" Gilbert asked. "Because I'd _love_ to meet them."

"Some of them dwell in heaven, others in hell," Vlad said. "And one side regards you as filth, the other as weaklings."

"Then what makes _you_ so special?" Francis snarled.

"That's _my_ little secret," Vlad said.

Lovino looked over towards Vlad. He remembered the other's comment about angels and demons. Did Vlad really make an enemy out of both of them? And if so, then on what side of the spectrum did Vlad belong to?

"I think you're an arrogant arschloch," Gilbert said, before he pounced again.

Lovino watched with wide eyes as Gilbert transformed into a large white wolf with red eyes. Vlad simply smirked before he pounced as well, and he too transformed into a wolf, except his fur was more of a golden colour, and his eyes were red as well. The two wolves clashed, and it was a cacophony of snarls, growls and snapping teeth. Eventually the two wolves jumped apart, and they transformed back to their original forms.

"So, you're a wolfwalker as well," Gilbert said. "And yet I've never heard of a wolf with golden fur and red eyes. You _must_ like to keep a low profile. But what I can't see is _why_."

"To each their own," Vlad said, before glancing towards Lovino. "Now I would prefer it if you would _kindly_ leave, before things get _ugly_."

"What if we _like_ ugly?" Gilbert snickered.

Vlad sighed, looking towards one of the windows. The other vampires looked as well.

"Eleven," Antonio said. "Do you think we should continue until dawn?"

"It's a long way back to your home," Vlad said.

"It doesn't matter," Antonio said. "We're not leaving without our pet."

Lovino was startled when he heard what time it was. How could time have flown so fast?

Vlad sighed, before he looked back towards Lovino. He then looked towards the vampires, a glare on his face.

"It would seem that you refuse to leave, and there's no way that I'm giving him to you," Vlad said. "And I know that you're not just going to let us leave, and I'm tired of playing around."

"Agreed," Gilbert said.

Vlad smirked, raising his hand. The other vampires tensed themselves to pounce, but froze when a sound met their ears. Lovino could hear it as well. It sounded like the flapping of hundreds of wings.

The windows shattered as hundreds of ravens flew through. The three vampires' eyes widened before the birds started to attack them. Vlad smirked, before he turned to walk back to Lovino.

"That should keep them busy for a while," Vlad said. "I think we should take you back to your family, alright?"

Lovino looked up with wide eyes, before mutely nodding his head. Vlad picked him up, cradling him in his arms, and Lovino started to squirm.

"Trust me, you don't want to be in any other position right now," Vlad said.

Lovino was confused at first, until something filled his vision that had him widen his eyes again. Vlad had wings, with feathers darker than the night sky. Lovino absently reached out to touch one, and it shrank slightly away under his touch, as though it was sensitive to sensation.

"You probably want to see your brothers again, am I right?" Vlad asked.

Lovino looked back towards him with wide eyes, and he nodded, seeing the boyish face with its smile. Vlad held him tighter before spreading his wings.

Lovino yelped when Vlad took flight, and he threw his arms around the vampire's neck. The other moved fast, and Lovino had to hold on for dear life. Vlad flew through one of the broken windows, and Lovino couldn't help but let out a laugh when he realised that his tormentors were left behind, but then a thought occurred to him.

"Can they follow us?" Lovino asked.

"No," Vlad said. "Not by sky. Wings are very rare among vampires, and it's usually a mark of power."

Lovino was silent for a moment.

"How powerful are you?" Lovino asked.

Vlad sighed, pulling the Italian closer.

"Stronger than those three combined," Vlad said. "And strong enough to protect you from any other vampire."

"Why? Why would you do all this for someone like me?"

Vlad smiled softly.

"You shouldn't look down on yourself like that," Vlad said. "There's more to you than the eye can see. You just need to be brave enough to look for yourself."

Lovino didn't say anything, until a thought occurred to him.

"How do you know which direction to go?" he asked.

"I heard the name of your hometown when I was sifting through your memories," Vlad said. "And fortunately for you, I've been there before."

Lovino scowled.

"Don't ever go through my memories again, bastard," he said.

Vlad chuckled, and Lovino hid his face into the other's chest.

"Alright, I won't do it unless I have your permission," Vlad said. "Or if there's something wrong and I need to find out what it is."

"No. Don't even do _that_. What makes you think you're going to be around for that?"

"Because I have a promise to keep."

Lovino looked up towards Vlad's face, and he saw that the other had his eyes fixed on the earth below. His face was relaxed, and Lovino felt himself relaxing into his arms.

It was silent for a while, until Vlad adjusted his body. Lovino looked down to see that they were near the ground, and that Vlad was about to land.

As soon as they were on the ground and Vlad's wings disappeared, Lovino forced himself out of the other's arms, feeling a little disoriented. Vlad placed his hand on his arm in order to keep him steady, and after a while Lovino recovered from the disorientation.

Lovino looked around, and he could feel a lump forming in his throat when he recognised his surroundings. He was in front of his old house, standing on the soft green grass. He was pleased to see that his brothers hadn't neglected his tomato plants. The sight was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Lovino walked towards the front door, as though in a daze, and he leaned against the wood, revelling in the familiar smell. He didn't think he would miss it, but he did.

He looked around for the spare key, only to find that it wasn't where it was meant to be. He wondered if his brothers had started to take precautions.

Lovino swallowed nervously, looking back towards the door. There was only one thing left for him to do, and there was a lower chance of him being allowed inside. He sighed, before he knocked loudly on the door, knowing how deeply his brothers could sleep.

"Feliciano, Marcello!" he called. "Please, open up! It's me. It's really me. I'm back." And he whispered: "I'm back."

There was no response, and Lovino started to wonder if his brothers were still there, and if they were still alive. He was starting to feel afraid.

"There's someone on the other side," Vlad said. "I think he's being cautious."

Lovino looked back to see that the vampire was looking around the street. He seemed to be keeping an eye out for any other vampires. Lovino turned back to the door and sighed.

"Feliciano, it's really me," Lovino said. "Fratello, please, open the door. I just… I've missed you."

The door opened, but only a crack. Lovino felt his heart drop when he noticed a chain, but was pleased to see that his brothers had become more careful in his absence. And he couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw the amber eye peeking from the other side, full of hope and disbelief.

"How do I know that you're really Lovi, and not a trick by the vampires?" Feliciano asked.

Lovino chuckled, before he held up the rosary.

The door closed briefly before it was opened again, and Lovino stumbled slightly when Feliciano launched himself at him, arms around his neck.

"Oh fratello," Feliciano said. "I've missed you. You were gone so long, and we didn't know if you were alive or dead. Did the vampires get you?"

"Si," Lovino said sadly. "They did."

Feliciano pulled away, looking his brother over, a sad look on his face.

"Not to interrupt your touching family moment," Vlad said, distracting the two, "but you might want to do it inside."

Feliciano yelped when he saw Vlad, and Lovino turned back to regard his brother.

"It's okay," he said. "This one's nice. And he knows nonno."

"Really?" Feliciano asked, looking at Vlad. "Did you save my fratello?"

Vlad smiled and nodded, before his smile fell and he looked into the distance.

"There are dangerous vampires not far away," Vlad said. "You need to go inside, _now_."

"Fine," Lovino said, walking inside the house, his brother with him. "Are you coming?"

"Vampires can't enter without a formal invitation," Vlad said.

"Fine. Come inside, then."

Vlad looked down the street one more time before sighing. He walked inside, closing the door behind him.

Lovino looked around, drinking in the familiar surroundings.

"Fratello?"

Lovino turned to see Marcello standing there, eyes wide.

"Ciao," Lovino said, smiling with tears brimming in his eyes.

Marcello launched himself at his older brother, and Lovino wrapped his arms around the younger as though he would never be able to see him again.

He felt Marcello cling onto him, and the younger trembled. Lovino looked over his shoulder to see Vlad standing there, watching the scene.

"It's okay," Lovino whispered. "He's on our side."

"Are you sure?" Marcello asked.

"I think so."

"Grazie," Feliciano said, speaking to Vlad. "You brought our fratello back to us."

"It's no problem," Vlad said, smiling.

Lovino pulled away from his younger brother, only to sway on the spot. Marcello grabbed him before he could fall to the ground.

"Fratello, what's wrong?" Marcello asked.

"He's been through a lot," Vlad explained. "He needs to sleep."

"Alright," Feliciano said. "It's a good thing we kept your room clean, hey Lovi?"

…

The three vampires left the church, their hair dishevelled, clothes torn and cuts covering their skin. But nothing compared to the furious expressions on their faces.

"That bastard," Gilbert muttered. "When I get my hands on him…"

"I don't think cher Lovino should be our first priority anymore," Francis said. "That vampire had wings."

Antonio grinned.

"Then if we manage to kill him, we'll get a little boost in power," Antonio said.

"Fine," Gilbert said. "But where is he?"

"He went with Lovino, si?" Antonio said. "So where would be the first place to go?"

"Lovino's old home," Francis said. "I wonder if his brothers have the same delicious blood as him."

"There's only one way to find out," Gilbert said. "Lead the way, Franny."

…

Romulus had retreated to the roof of the church, and he had seen Vlad and Lovino's escape. Other figures clad in white had joined him, looking at the place where the other two had disappeared.

"You saw what I saw, si?" Romulus asked.

"That's right," one of the others said. "And I think we might have a solution to our vampire problem."

"'The hope of the world rests in the hands of those between two planes of existence'," another quoted. "Who could be better?"

 **Originally the time that Antonio stated would be midnight, but then I figured that it would be impossible for time to move that fast. But basically, since most of this was Lovino's POV, his perception of time is out of balance, since he spent three months without being aware of how much time is passing, and because while he was imprisoned his mind tricked him into thinking that time was moving slower, and now that he's free it's tricking him into thinking that time is moving faster. Plus he's tired, so his perception is out of whack.**

 **And** _ **everything**_ **will eventually be explained, including who the figures on the roof were (if it wasn't obvious) and what they saw.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Skye Phoenix Dove, SuperWolf1967, ScandinavianTrash and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 3**

 _His body held down by strong hands, fingers and tongues and teeth in places where they didn't belong. He struggled, screamed and begged, but they wouldn't release him, and no one was there to help him._

 _Pain. The only thing he could feel. He screamed, and the three laughed. He wanted this to end. Why didn't they let it end?_

…

Vlad stood in the doorway, a sad expression on his face. He knew that one of Lovino's brothers was hovering nearby, but he didn't care. He had more important things to worry about.

Lovino was in his bed, asleep, but not resting. The boy was covered in sweat, and he kept rolling around. His face scrunched up in fear. He was mumbling, crying, _begging_ …

Vlad had seen everything the teen had gone through in the last three months. He knew what the nightmares were about.

He cursed himself for not having the right ability to take Lovino's nightmares away. Telepathy was a valuable gift, and he couldn't use it.

Not from a distance.

He sighed, seeing no other alternative. He walked closer to Lovino's bed, sensing that the other's bother was starting to _really_ panic. He climbed onto the bed next to the teen, and as gently as he could, he moved him so that his head was resting on his shoulder.

Immediately Lovino relaxed, the stress of the last three months fading away. Vlad snaked his arm underneath the boy and prepared for a long night.

Almost as if on cue, the youngest brother arrived, staring inside with wild eyes. Vlad lifted his finger to his lips, signalling the other to be quiet. He saw the concern melt into confusion, and he turned his attention back to Lovino.

"It's called 'contact telepathy'," Vlad said quietly, careful not to wake Lovino. "You know what telepathy is?" He turned to the younger boy, who nodded his head. "Contact telepathy only works if I maintain physical contact. He needs his sleep, and I'm making sure that he gets it."

"So you're keeping his nightmares away?" the boy asked.

Vlad nodded, and the younger teen sagged against the wall, looking relieved.

"You're not going to hurt him?" the boy asked.

Vlad shook his head. He wasn't about to explain to the boy that he _couldn't_ hurt him. He knew that the moment his eyes fell on Lovino.

The younger nodded, and turned to leave.

"Wait," Vlad said, and the boy paused. "What's your name?"

"Marcello."

Vlad nodded, and after a while Marcello left. He turned his attention back to Lovino and sighed.

He would be there for a while still.

…

The three vampires finally made it to Lovino's hometown, and Francis led the way to the Italian's old home. They could smell humans inside, but they weren't sure if _their_ human was in there.

They _could_ , however, smell the other vampire, who also had a unique scent. But then again, _all_ vampires had a different scent. That was how they were able to identify each other. What was confusing about the other vampire's scent was that it didn't smell like death, like the rest of them. It smelt… fresh, like new life.

But there was no denying that he was a vampire.

"Now what?" Gilbert asked, looking at the house.

"If we want to get our prey, we need to lure them out," Francis said.

"Which prey are you referring to?"

"Does it matter?"

"Guys," Antonio interrupted, looking towards the east. "We might need to wait until tonight. It's too close to dawn."

The other two sighed and nodded, finding an abandoned house for them to rest in for the day.

…

Feliciano groaned as the alarm clock blared. He hated the fact that they still needed to go to school, but it was better than the alternative. If they turned eighteen, they would have to join the army in order to fight the vampires.

His eyes snapped open when he remembered that Lovino was back. He jumped out of the bed and ran towards Lovino's room, only to stop at the door.

The vampire from the previous night was there, and Lovino was resting his head on his chest. The vampire had his eyes closed, but when Feliciano stopped those red eyes opened.

Feliciano whimpered, wondering if he should open the curtains and if the vampire would even give him the chance.

"He needs his sleep," the vampire explained. "This is the only way I can make sure that he isn't bothered by nightmares."

Feliciano calmed down, and took a nervous step inside the room.

"Why are you nice?" Feliciano asked, and he immediately realised his mistake.

He didn't ask why he was _so_ nice, but _nice_. And yes, it was a legitimate question, but he was still worried that it was a mistake.

The vampire didn't seem to mind, though.

"I have no reason to be otherwise," the vampire said. "I don't experience hunger, although I do tend to get cravings for sweet food every now and again. My life wasn't the kind where I felt as though people owed me something, at least not until the end, and my soul…" He bit his lip and shook his head. He then turned his attention back to Feliciano. "Why are you up so early, anyway?"

"We have school," Feliciano explained. "I was wondering if Lovi wanted to go."

The vampire looked down towards the sleeping teen and shook his head.

"Let him sleep," he said. "He needs it. He's been through too much and it would be a punishment to send him to that prison called 'school'. Let him rest for a few days."

Feliciano nodded and smiled. He had to agree, he couldn't wake his brother, not while he looked so peaceful. But he was still worried about leaving him alone with the vampire.

"How can we trust you?" Feliciano asked. "I-I mean…"

"It's alright," the vampire said. "I understand. After everything that's happened…" he looked thoughtful, before biting one of his fingers. He beckoned Feliciano closer, and the Italian did as told, though very hesitantly. "It's an ancient form of a blood vow. It's used if one person needs to make a promise. Remove your shirt."

Feliciano frowned, but did so anyway. He shuddered a bit when the vampire traced an 'x' on his chest.

"I promise that I will do nothing to harm Lovino," the vampire said. "I will do nothing to harm you or your younger brother either. Should I fail in this promise, the seal will turn black, and your word would be enough to end my life."

Feliciano blinked before looking down at his chest. He saw it glow slightly before fading into his skin. It was strange. He looked back towards the vampire, a small smile on his face.

"Would you like anything to read while you wait for Lovi to wake up?" Feliciano asked.

"I wouldn't mind," the vampire said. "I don't care what it is either."

Feliciano giggled before he went to his brother's bookshelf, searching for something that the vampire might like. He finally saw something and took the book, walking over and handing it to the vampire.

"The Divine Comedy," Feliciano explained. "We were supposed to do it in Literature class, but then Lovi disappeared, and…"

"Thank you," the vampire said. "It's been a while since I've read this. Of course, I read it in the original Italian."

"Ve, you speak Italian?"

"I speak all the languages in that family," Vlad said. "This couldn't have been given a more appropriate title."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen hell. I've met a few demons. I know Lucifer himself. And while this might not be divine, it _is_ a comedy."

Feliciano cocked his head to the side.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

The vampire sighed and shook his head.

"It's a long and painful story. One that I would rather not share, if you wouldn't mind."

Feliciano nodded and turned away from the room. He needed to make sure that Marcello was awake, and then they would need to get ready for school.

…

Feliciano yawned, and not for the first time. He was having lunch with Marcello and their friends, and the two of them could barely keep awake.

"Had a late night?" Alfred asked, a teasing smile on his face.

"Kind of," Marcello admits. "Lovi's back."

Matthew had a relieved smile on his face, while Jason's eyes widened. Alfred just stared blankly.

"Are you sure it's him?" Alfred asked. "It's not some trick by the vampires?"

"He was wearing a rosary," Feliciano said. "Vampires can't touch them, remember?"

"But still…"

"Why don't we go and see for ourselves after school?" Matthew suggested. "I wouldn't mind seeing Lovino again."

Feliciano and Marcello exchanged a worried glance that the other three missed. They would need to explain the vampire that was staying with them. And knowing Alfred, that could _not_ go well.

…

Lovino sighed, nuzzling his face into his pillow. It was the first time he could sleep peacefully in a long time, uninterrupted by nightmares. He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the sight.

He realised that he was sleeping on someone's shoulder, and he instantly moved away. Vlad turned to him and smiled brightly.

"Good morning," he greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

Lovino yelped and jumped away, unfortunately being caught in a tangle of sheets and thus falling to the floor. Vlad peeked over the edge, a worried expression on his face.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed, you bastard?" Lovino shouted.

"I was making sure you didn't have any nightmares," Vlad explained.

"How the hell does that make sure I don't get nightmares?"

"Remember when I was reading your mind, I was touching you?"

"Vaguely."

"It's called 'contact telepathy'. If I touch you, I can read your mind, and I can also plant ideas into your mind."

Lovino's eyes widened. He had been freeing himself from the sheets and jumped to his feet when he heard the vampire's proclamation.

"You _what_?" he demanded.

"I didn't plant any ideas in your mind," Vlad sighed. "I can also influence dreams. Make you dream what I want you to dream, or not at all. _That's_ what I was doing."

Lovino scowled.

"Then why didn't you just let me have a happy dream?" he asked.

"Because I don't know you well enough to be able to tell what you would consider happy. And also, having to maintain the dream would take a lot of effort and I didn't know how long you were planning to sleep."

Lovino huffed.

"Fine. What time is it anyway?"

"Just after noon. I think your brother left you some lunch."

Lovino felt a pang of hunger and he sighed in relief when he realised that he would be able to pay attention to it immediately.

He walked towards the kitchen, Vlad following behind him, and when they would pass an open window the curtains would close by themselves. Eventually Lovino turned to regard Vlad.

"How are you doing that?" he asked.

Vlad smirked at him.

"Telekinesis," he said. "It's a pretty useful ability, don't you think?"

Lovino scowled.

"Just how many abilities do you have?" he asked. "I though vampires only had one or two."

"They do. I'm just an exception."

Lovino huffed.

"Well… what else can you do?"

Vlad looked thoughtful.

"I have a lot of magical abilities," he said. "And I also have that sanguine souvenir ability that francypants has, though like contact telepathy, it can go both ways."

"What do you mean?"

"It means I can allow others to see my memories by letting them drink my blood."

"Why would anyone drink _your_ blood? It's _silver_. And _why_ is it silver?"

Vlad smiled sadly.

"I'm afraid I don't know you well enough to tell you that," he said.

Lovino glared at the vampire.

"Hey, you know more about me than I was willing to tell _anyone_ , especially my fratelli," he said. "You know about what happened in those months I was with _them_. The _least_ you could do is tell me a little more about _you_."

Vlad blinked at that, and he sighed, running a hand through his strawberry blond hair.

"What do you want to know?" he asked at last.

"I don't know," Lovino said. "How old are you?"

Vlad sighed, as though the question was harder than it was supposed to be.

"That's a tough one," he said. "I'd say… around nine thousand? Maybe."

Lovino's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he really _that_ old?

Vlad saw the expression on his face and chuckled nervously.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Si. Who turned you? Is he famous or something?"

Vlad's expression fell.

"Not among humankind or vampirekind," he said. "He's not a vampire. He's a demon. A powerful, _cruel_ demon. One that wanted to turn me into one of _them_. Vampire is as close as he would come, I'll make sure of that."

"How?"

"If I make a mistake and kill someone, no matter _what_ they are, he'll find me. I need to avoid killing anything. I can't even kill an _ant_ without the risk of him tracking me down. He was the reason why I was sleeping in a _church_ for twenty years."

Lovino looked at him with wide eyes, feeling a connection with the vampire. Perhaps that was why Vlad was being so nice. Because he _knew_ what it was like to be forced into a life you didn't want, and to be hunted down by the ones that ruined your life. Vlad _knew_.

Lovino turned back towards the kitchen, not saying a word. He figured that he had asked Vlad enough about the subject. As it were, the vampire had a distant look on his face.

The thought also occurred to Lovino that Vlad was probably not a _true_ vampire. A demon had tried to turn him into a demon and _failed_ , leaving behind something that was stuck between states. And that being didn't want any more.

And Lovino was fine with that. But there was something that still bothered him.

"Why exactly don't you need to feed?" he asked.

Vlad chuckled.

"I don't just have enemies in heaven," Vlad explained. "While they can't undo what's been done to me, they _were_ able to help me out. Especially the angels of life."

"Angels of life?"

"They protect all things in life. They get along with angels of death, who are their opposites. Angels of life can't kill, and it's against their nature to allow something to be killed around them, and angels of death can't interfere with the ways of life. They have healing abilities, but it requires a medium, depending on the angel. Touch of life, breath of life…" Vlad's expression saddened. "And blood of life."

…

Vlad and Lovino were in the living room, watching TV when Vlad suddenly turned to the door, his face scrunched up in an unreadable expression.

"What?" Lovino asked.

"It seems you have company," Vlad explained.

Lovino's eyes widened when he heard the front door open, and soon enough he could hear a familiar, _loud_ voice.

"Hey Lovino! Feli said you're…"

Alfred came rushing into the room and stopped at the door, staring straight at Vlad. Vlad rolled his eyes, standing up.

"I see that we're going to have an awkward situation," he said. "I'll be back when you're finished."

Vlad went into the kitchen, and as soon as he was gone, Alfred rounded on him.

"Dude, what's _it_ doing here?" Alfred demanded.

"He saved my life, and without him I wouldn't even _be_ here," Lovino said.

He turned to see Alfred's brothers standing behind him, their eyes fixed on the door to the kitchen. And behind _them_ stood Feliciano and Marcello, looking awkward.

"That still doesn't mean that you can trust it," Alfred said.

Vlad poked his head into the room, and Alfred faltered.

"I'll have you know that I don't appreciate being referred to as 'it', so could you _kindly_ refrain from doing so?"

Alfred swallowed, and Vlad disappeared again.

"Look bastard, I know for a _fact_ that Vlad won't hurt any of us," Lovino said. "He's had a million opportunities."

"But what if he's hungry?" Alfred asked.

"Vlad doesn't feed from humans."

They heard a snicker and turned their attentions to Marcello, who seemed to try to keep his laughter in check.

"'Vlad'?" he asked. "That has to be the most stereotypical name for a vampire."

"What's his title?" Alfred asked, rounding on Lovino.

"He doesn't have one, or at least not one that's famous," Lovino said.

"How old is he?"

"Apparently, nine thousand."

The others just looked at Lovino with wide eyes.

"Um," Alfred began, "how many people did he… you know? Turn?"

Vlad stuck his head into the room again, looking towards Alfred.

"Seven," he said, "of which only three of them are alive, so to speak, and two of them are imprisoned in more chains and locks than you could count."

And Vlad retreated into the kitchen again, leaving a stunned silence.

"Are you _sure_ you can trust that guy?" Alfred asked.

"He gave me a rosary, he kept me from having nightmares, and he got me away from the vampires that kidnapped me," Lovino said. "I trust him more than I trust you, to be honest."

"I'm going to keep my eye on him," Alfred said.

…

Vlad sighed, leaning against the wall next to the door. He could hear the humans' conversation clearly, his fine hearing not necessary with the American's loud voice.

He knew what those other three were. They were the same as Lovino and his brothers, though their blood hadn't had time to thin yet.

Nephilim.

He felt another presence in the room and opened his eyes.

"Are they yours?" he asked the angel in front of him.

"No," Fletcher sighed. "They're Ayiana's. We have a mission for you."

Vlad stared at him blankly and he sighed.

"If you fulfil this mission, we'll grant you forgiveness."

"Don't want it," he said. " _I_ don't need _your_ forgiveness. Though an apology would do."

"Then what _do_ you want?"

Vlad bit his lip and sighed.

"I want freedom," he said.

"From what?" he asked, looking concerned.

"It doesn't matter. At the very least, you should make it possible for me to walk around in sunlight."

"I'm sure something can be arranged. Now, as for your mission…"

 **The angel at the end was originally NyoEngland, but she has a few scenes in the future that wouldn't quite fit in here. So instead it's New Zealand.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks to garra'ssand246, SuperWolf1967, MeiPhantomhive, ScandinavianTrash, NekoRyuuKo and Lovesbugsalot for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 4**

After Vlad had returned to the living room, the silence was practically tangible. Alfred kept glaring at the vampire, while the others, except for Lovino, kept glancing nervously towards Vlad.

The vampire had decided to lie down on the couch, his eyes closed. Lovino was sitting on the other end of the couch, trying to send the message that Vlad was not a danger to them, though it didn't seem as though it was working.

The only sound in the room was the TV acting as background noise.

Alfred had been creeping towards the nearest window. Vlad was aware of that, but he didn't react. He knew how the scene would play out, and he tried hard to make sure that there wasn't a small smile on his face.

Alfred finally managed to grab the corner of the curtains, and the other humans looked nervous, though they didn't want to alert the vampire. They were afraid of how the vampire would react.

Alfred started to pull at the curtain, but it was as though an invisible force kept it closed. As he continued to tug, Vlad couldn't help the small smile that started to appear on his face, steadily growing the more the American struggled.

"Alright, what gives?" Alfred said at last, glaring at the vampire.

"If there's one thing I can say about Americans," Vlad said, "they're pretty predictable."

"What did you _do_?" Alfred demanded, letting go of the curtain.

"It's telekinesis. You know, moving objects with the mind? Making sure the curtains stay closed is pretty easy."

Alfred huffed, before he stalked over towards the vampire. Vlad's eyes opened a crack, though he was obviously not intimidated by the human.

Alfred grabbed hold of the front of Vlad's trench coat, pulling him up. Vlad's eyes had widened for a brief moment, but then he stared directly at the angry American.

"I don't know what you're playing," Alfred said. "But I'm _not_ going to let you hurt any of us."

"Let him go, you bastard," Lovino said, trying to pry Alfred off of Vlad.

Vlad sighed.

"They're called the Kirkland brothers," Vlad said.

The six humans stared at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Alfred asked.

"The vampires that are hunting you. They're known as the Kirkland brothers. They're notorious for their magic, but the thing that everyone notices first is their huge eyebrows."

"How do you know about them?"

"Contact telepathy. I can read your mind through physical contact."

Almost instantly Alfred let go, backing away. Vlad sighed, shaking his head.

"What else did you see?" Alfred asked.

"I only saw that," Vlad said. "I wasn't trying to pry, but that particular thought was pretty overwhelming."

"Is _that_ why you're so suspicious?" Lovino asked. "Because you're being hunted too?"

Alfred avoided his gaze, and stalked out of the room.

"Maybe we should go," Matthew suggested.

"I wouldn't do that," Vlad said. "If they've been hunting you, they're bound to find a way in. If you go home, they could find their way inside. If you stay here, you might be able to throw them off, at least for a night."

"And if it doesn't work?" Jason asked. "If they come _here_?"

"Will you protect us?" Marcello asked.

Vlad looked over towards the two youngest and sighed, nodding his head. Seeing the relief in the humans, he knew that he wouldn't be able to say otherwise.

After a while Alfred returned to the living room, and the six humans made sleeping arrangements. Vlad sighed, keeping an eye on the clock, as well as the windows.

Daylight was running out.

"I still don't think we should trust him," Alfred said, glancing over towards Vlad. "He's a vampire."

"Vampire or not, you're still safest with him."

The six humans jumped at the voice, glancing towards the door, where they saw a man wearing a white suit. There was a child hiding behind him, clinging onto his jacket. Vlad didn't look towards the newcomer, though he did groan.

"You know, vampires are a lot politer than you because they need permission to enter someone's house," Vlad said. "But you've never been bothered by it, have you, Roddy?" He turned to face the newcomer, a look of annoyance on his face. "Where's Elizabitcha?"

"Please, not in front of children," Roderich sighed. "She's not here."

"Who are you?" Lovino demanded, shrinking closer towards Vlad.

"An angel of music, Roderich Edelstein," Vlad said, a bit of contempt in his voice.

"An angel?" Matthew asked.

Suddenly, the humans had different looks on their faces. They seemed awed and relaxed. Except for Lovino, who merely went closer to Vlad.

"Should we trust someone that doesn't get along with angels?" Alfred asked, looking towards Vlad.

"He gets along with a few," Roderich said. "The only problem he has with _me_ is that Elizabeta is my heartwing."

"What's that?" Marcello asked.

"Simply put, it's an angel's term for soul mate," Vlad said. "Angels are supposed to be made in two's. Roderich and Elizabeta, for example. But that's not why you're here, is it, Roddy?"

"No, it's not," Roderich said, turning towards the child. "This is Hans, my son. He needs protection."

"Wait, that's a _boy_?" Jason asked, looking incredulous.

Hans bristled slightly.

"Why are you bringing him _here_?" Alfred asked. "Can't you protect him, or at least another angel?"

"Due to the vampire outbreak, angels can't stay in this world for too long," Roderich said. "Except for angels of death, but they're not allowed to mess with the natural order of life. They're not allowed to protect anyone, unless they have the permission of an angel of life. And Vlad has proven that he is the safest person for Nephilim to be around."

"What?" Feliciano, Matthew and Alfred asked.

Roderich looked towards the teens, seeing looks of confusion on their faces. He then turned to Vlad.

"You didn't tell them?" he asked.

"It hasn't come up," Vlad said, shrugging.

"Fine. A Nephilim is the offspring of a human and an angel. The angel blood remains for about five generations. Romulus is an angel of love, and Ayiane is an angel of nature."

"You mean Mom's an angel?" Matthew asked.

"What does it matter?" Jason asked. "She _left_ us."

"That whole part of angels not being able to last long in this world?" Vlad said. "Keep that in mind."

"Indeed," Roderich said. "And unfortunately for you, vampires are attracted to the scent and taste of Nephilim blood. Except for Vlad."

"What makes _him_ so special?" Alfred asked.

Roderich and Vlad looked at each other for a moment, and Vlad narrowed his eyes. Roderich shook his head.

"Perhaps you can learn that in time," Roderich said. "Now, you've already witnessed how humans are unable to defeat the vampires, and we angels are at the moment unable to do so. So we're hoping to get _you_ involved."

"What?" Jason asked. "So, you're going to send a bunch of teenagers to do what _you_ can't do?"

"It seems someone understands how angels work," Vlad said, smirking. "Yes, they like to manipulate mortals to do what they need to do."

Roderich glared at Vlad.

"And Vlad is not allowed to kill anyone without the express permission of an angel of death, unless he wants a few demons on his tail," Roderich said. "Which means he's just as useless as we are at the moment."

Vlad glared back at him.

"Wait," Alfred said. "Not allowed to kill?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Vlad said.

"He _can_ , however, protect you," Roderich interrupted. "And no one knows Nephilim better than Vlad. Not even we angels know as much as he does."

"And I've already proven that they're safer with me than angels," Vlad said.

"I believe Fletcher already gave you your mission?"

"Da. Find and train at least twelve Nephilim. Don't let any vampires get to them. Yada, yada, yada…"

"Good. And you're already halfway."

"What?" Lovino asked. "You mean _twelve_? I don't think twelve people can stay _here_."

Roderich sighed, looking towards Vlad.

"Do you have any friends with large houses and who would hopefully protect them?" Roderich asked.

Vlad nodded his head.

"I know someone," he said. "Anyone he takes under his wing, he'll protect to the bitter end."

"Who is it?"

Vlad smirked.

"Feliks."

Roderich nodded his head, knowing who Vlad was speaking about, and apparently approving.

"Very well," Roderich said. He placed his hand on Hans's head. "Then I'll leave you now. Take care of him. Of _all_ of them."

And Roderich was gone.

Vlad sighed, standing from the couch.

"I'm going to go call Feliks," Vlad said.

"How do you know he's still around?" Lovino asked. "I mean, you've been asleep for twenty years. He could be…"

"Feliks is immortal," Vlad explained. "And he's got a big house. He's a bit materialistic, and can come off as shallow, but when it comes down to it, he's one of the most loyal people you could ever meet."

And Vlad left, leaving the teens to ponder about the entire situation.

Hans fidgeted nervously, before looking towards Marcello.

"Do you have any art supplies?" he asked.

Marcello looked towards Feliciano, who had a huge smile on his face.

"Ve, I can show you to our art room," Feliciano said.

Hans smiled as the older boy showed him the way.

Lovino looked over towards where Vlad had disappeared and stood, going to find the vampire. It took him a while, but eventually he found Vlad in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. He was speaking to the mirror, and Lovino was questioning his sanity for a moment, until he heard the mirror talk back.

"What the hell?" Lovino asked.

Vlad turned to look at him and smiled. He turned back to the mirror.

"How soon do you think you can be here?" he asked.

"Like, I'll be there before dawn," the mirror said. "How many are there again?"

"Seven. Thank you."

Lovino frowned, walking closer. He wanted to know what exactly this was.

When he looked into the mirror, he saw someone with blond hair and green eyes. The other person blinked, looking between Vlad and Lovino. Finally, he smirked towards Vlad.

"Like, is this…?" the other started.

"Thank you Feliks," Vlad interrupted. "I'll see you later."

"Fine," Feliks huffed. "Like, I'll see you later babe."

And the image in the mirror disappeared, leaving only Lovino's reflection, since vampires didn't have one.

Lovino moved closer towards the mirror, before he looked back towards Vlad.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Some immortals use this method to communicate with each other, if you don't know how to find them, or you're unable to go to them personally. And it doesn't _have_ to be mirrors. Though considering Feliks, he'd _definitely_ have a few of them."

"How'd you know he'd be home?"

"Because asides from me, he only has three other friends, and one of them is an angelic bitch."

"That same one you mentioned earlier?"

"Da."

"What's the deal between you two anyway?"

"If I have to explain, we'd be here all month."

Lovino winced at that, and the two of them left the bathroom.

"So, what exactly is your friend?" Lovino asked.

Vlad chuckled.

"That's a surprise."

…

Feliciano had made pasta for them all. Vlad wasn't eating anything, and Lovino had less than the others, much to his dismay.

"Why can't I eat more again?" Lovino asked.

"Because you still need to get used to eating regular meals," Vlad said.

"I think that's a load of…" Alfred started.

"Al," Matthew warned, looking towards Hans.

Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't you be lecturing _them_?" he asked, pointing towards Lovino and Jason, who merely glared at him.

Vlad sighed, before tensing. He turned his attention to the window, a glare on his face.

"What's wrong?" Feliciano asked.

"It's _them_ ," Vlad said, looking over towards Lovino. "They must have figured it out from your memories."

Lovino paled, and Feliciano instantly went to hug his brother.

"You can fight them off, right?" Feliciano asked.

"As long as we all stay in the house, there's no need to fight," Vlad said.

"So, you're a coward," Alfred said.

"No. I just know that three against one would be pointless unless absolutely necessary. And besides, starting a fight could attract other vampires, including _your_ vampires."

Alfred pouted, not having anything to say about that.

"You're supposed to be 'training' us, right?" Jason said. "How is that supposed to work?"

"Nephilim tend to have an ability that lies dormant," Vlad said. "Most of the time. Sometimes it reveals itself and it's impossible to control. Matthew has the ability called 'non-existence'."

"How would you know that?" Alfred demanded.

"Because while we've been speaking he's flickered in and out of existence five times. Have you ever felt as though you're invisible?"

Matthew looked down, nodding his head.

The humans jumped when they heard a bang against the window, followed by scraping. Vlad sighed.

"They may not be able to enter without permission," Vlad said. "But they're going to try to get you close enough so that they don't have to."

Lovino was trembling, breathing heavily. Feliciano hugged him, and Lovino's breathing only increased. Vlad looked towards him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I won't let them get you," Vlad said. " _Any_ of you. You have my word."

"Can we get that in writing?" Alfred asked.

"Dammit!" Lovino shouted. "An _angel_ told us that he's the best person to trust."

"He's not a person! He's a monster."

"Why? Because he's a vampire? He didn't choose this damn life."

"Stop it!" Hans shouted. "Just _stop_."

"Stay out of this kid," Alfred said.

"Al, you're being impossible," Matthew said.

"No, Mattie. I don't trust this guy!"

"I understand that," Vlad said. "But please, make sure you don't do something stupid to endanger anyone in this room."

"You're probably trying to turn us into your own private army as soon as we're fully trained."

"Nephilim _cannot_ be turned into vampires," Vlad said. "The angel blood in you prevents that from happening. Only a demon would be able to do that, and they won't settle for vampire."

There was silence after that. Matthew cleared his throat.

"Did you have a lot of demons to deal with?" Matthew asked.

Vlad looked at him for a moment before sighing.

"One in particular," Vlad said. "They call him the Winter King. He's strong, brutal, and has the mind of a child. He thinks of breaking people as some sort of sick game. I'm one of his games. He can't find me, unless I kill something. And believe me when I say that I have no interest in playing his game. If I lose…"

Vlad shook his head. He turned his attention to Alfred.

" _That's_ why you should trust me. I'm not going to bring his attention to me again. Every time… I lose too much, and it only serves to destroy me."

Alfred looked towards him, eyes narrowed.

"And what if he finds you?" he asked.

"That's why I asked Feliks to help," Vlad said. "He's one of the few beings in heaven, hell and on earth that would openly challenge him and is unwilling to back down. Plus, Feliks has an elemental advantage. If he _does_ get me, then you're safe with Feliks."

"How do we know he hasn't been able to find you yet?" Alfred asked.

"I've only woken up last night after sleeping for twenty years. If I _don't_ kill someone or something, then it usually takes him fifty years to find me."

"You told those bastards that you like to keep a low profile," Lovino said. "I'm guessing that he's the reason why?"

"Da," Vlad said. "And picking a fight with three vampires is not worth it if it leads to the possibility of _him_ coming. Do you understand? So as long as no one does something stupid," he looked pointedly at Alfred, "there would be no need to cause unnecessary trouble. Understood?"

"Fine," Alfred huffed.

"Isn't it more dangerous, though?" Marcello asked. "There are more of us here. If our blood is really that appealing to the vampires…"

"Your grandfather left you with a little gift," Vlad said, smirking. "The house is enchanted. The angelic blood cannot be smelled from the outside, unless you open a door or a window."

"So, we really _are_ safe in here?" Hans asked.

"As much as you can be. The enchantment also includes a muffler. No matter how good their hearing is, they can't hear what we're saying."

"I guess that's good," Matthew said. "Um, can you tell me more about that non-existent thing?"

…

As soon as the sun had safely set, the trio of vampires had gone to Lovino's house. They still couldn't smell his particular scent, but they _could_ smell that other vampire. They could also sense that there were more people in the building than there were the previous night.

Gilbert had gone up to the window and tried to get the humans' attention, in the hopes that at least one of them was an idiot. They could hear people talking, though the conversation was muffled, which confused the vampires.

"What are we going to do now?" Francis asked.

"Arson comes to mind," Antonio said. "They can't hide in the house if there's no house to hide in."

"That might alert others," Francis said. "We need a better plan."

"How do you think they'll react to a dog outside?" Gilbert asked.

"No good, amigo," Antonio said. "That vampire knows you're a wolfwalker."

"Right. Damn."

…

A few blocks away, another group of vampires were outside of an empty house, hoping to get the prey that was no longer there.

"Do you think someone else got them?" Patrick asked.

"No," Alistair said. "I think they're hiding out at friends'."

"One way to find out," Arthur said. "Try to see which house has more people than it did before."

"And what then?" William asked.

"We simply do what we would have done tonight anyway."

 **So, I bet you're all wondering what AusHun was doing there, since I despise the popular pairings. I'm more likely to accept a pairing that's actually canon, and not just one that the fans decided as canon. Plus, a friend of mine ships PruHun, and she wasn't impressed when I said that AusHun was technically canon. So this is also to mess with her a little, and it gives Vlad a reason not to like Roderich.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks to ScandinavianTrash and NekoRyuuKo for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 5**

The eight of them sat in the living room in silence. They knew that the three vampires were still outside, and none of them wanted to check, afraid of seeing the trio.

Lovino was curled up on the couch, trying to control his terror of having his tormentors so close once again. He wondered if he would _ever_ be free of them. He didn't even care that he appeared weak in front of the others. He just wanted them _gone_.

Vlad was sitting in the armchair, head cocked slightly as though he was listening to something. He would occasionally get a frown on his face, but overall he remained completely still.

Hans had been given a few papers and pencils, and he busied himself with a few drawings. Feliciano and Alfred seemed to be having trouble keeping quiet, but whenever Vlad would frown they found it a lot easier to do so.

Finally, Alfred couldn't take it anymore.

"Can you actually hear them?" he asked.

"Da," Vlad said, not moving. "They're debating the pros and cons of committing arson."

"They're not going to…?" Matthew began, eyes wide.

"Not at the moment. They want to determine how many other vampires are around before they continue. One thing you should know is that when it comes to prey, vampires can be very possessive. They don't want to share with anyone."

"They had no problem sharing _me_ ," Lovino said.

"It's because they thought you were the only one like you. They've also been together for a long time, and covens tend to be a lot more open to sharing than other vampires."

"If they find out that _all_ of us are like that…" Marcello began.

"So, when's that buddy of yours supposed to show up?" Jason interrupted.

"He said he'd be here before dawn, although knowing Feliks, something'll happen and he'll end up late," Vlad said.

"How well do you think he can fare against three vampires?" Matthew asked.

"Vampires are creatures of death. Feliks is a creature of life. His scent alone would keep them away. He's not prey to them. Then, if he starts to get serious, they wouldn't even be able to touch him. Feliks can manipulate fire, and it's not uncommon to find him snoozing inside of a volcano."

"Burning's one of the classic ways of killing vampires," Lovino said, understanding dawning on him. "What exactly is he?"

Vlad smirked, before he turned to look at Lovino.

"Feliks is a phoenix."

…

The four vampires had split up, going along the houses, smelling and sensing the occupants. They were searching for a house that had three more occupants than it did the previous night.

' _I think I found it,'_ Patrick informed the rest.

They had all switched direction and gone towards where Patrick was. And it didn't take them long to figure out why he said that.

In front of the house were three other vampires, and they seemed to be discussing ways to get inside. They could also sense that there were more occupants in the house than they had been expecting.

However, Arthur had turned his attention to one of the other vampires, recognition in his green eyes. Recognition was soon replaced by anger and hatred.

" _You_ ," he snarled.

The other three turned to regard the newcomers, and one of them immediately gained the same expression on his face.

"What the hell?!" he shouted.

…

Vlad had been keeping an ear out for the vampires outside. He had heard the four newcomers approach, and had heard the words spoken. Out of curiosity, he went towards the window and peeked outside.

His face immediately gained an amused smirk.

"What is it?" Feliciano asked.

"It seems that the Kirkland brothers have figured out where to look for you three," Vlad said, turning to Alfred, who immediately looked panicked.

"Then why are you smiling?" Alfred asked, a suspicious look on his face.

"I'm going to give you a little history lesson," Vlad said. "Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was a captain in the Spanish Armada. His ship was attacked, his crew captured, and he was basically humiliated by the pirate captain Arthur Kirkland. So Carriedo left the Armada to become a pirate, hoping to get revenge over Arthur. It was a war between the two. They had gained the attention of two different vampires. One sired Carriedo, and the other sired Kirkland, who then sired his lookout, first mate and navigator, which also happened to be his brothers. The two hated each other in life, and it seems as though they were unaware of the other being vampires. Until now."

"How the hell didn't they know about each other?" Jason asked, approaching the window.

The teen burst out into laughter when he saw one of the vampires that stalked them being held back by the other three, and the same thing was happening to the other group.

"Wish we know what they were saying," Jason said.

"I had to muffle it further for your sake," Vlad explained. "I don't think Roddy would appreciate his son hearing that kind of language, and I know that he won't come himself, so he'll send Elizabeta. And the two of us have more reason to hate each other than the two former pirates do."

"What exactly happened between the two of you?" Hans asked.

"Let's just say, it was hate at first sight. Anything that happened after that would take _weeks_ to explain."

"This is…" Jason started, a grin on his face, before he yelped, backing up.

Vlad frowned, before he looked back towards the window, seeing what the American had seen. One of the vampires had turned his attention to the window, and was looking straight at them.

"Calm down," Vlad muttered. "We don't know if he could do anything. Let's step away."

He let the curtain cover the window again, and he and Jason returned to their seats.

…

"Could you just _shut it_?!" Alistair snarled at last.

The two vampires that looked as though they wanted to slaughter each other calmed down somewhat, before they looked towards the Scotsman.

"At least we know our prey is inside," William said, staring at the window. "There was someone else as well. Judging by the red eyes, I'd say he was a vampire."

"Strawberry blond hair with a little top hat?" Francis asked, and the Welshman nodded. "Looks like he hasn't left yet."

"Do you know him?" William asked.

"Ja, we've met him," Gilbert said. "He wouldn't give us his name, or even his nickname. The arschloch said he has no interest in drinking human blood."

"Then he's no threat," Patrick said.

"You're wrong," Francis said. "He is physically stronger than both of mes amis. He managed to pin them both at the same time. He's also pretty clever."

"Not to mention a wolfwalker," Gilbert added. "And he has…"

"He has wings," Antonio said.

"What?" Arthur asked. "But… Only the strongest or oldest vampires have them."

"Si. Also, his blood is toxic to vampires."

"And it's silver," Francis added.

"I've never heard of anything with silver blood, least of all vampires," Arthur said. "Do you know if he has magic?"

"Considering the flock of birds he summoned against us," Francis said, "I'd say that's a strong possibility."

"Interesting," Arthur said, smirking. "Do you think he'd come out for a little _chat_?"

"From the smell of things, he has seven humans inside," Gilbert said. "Not going to happen easily."

"William?"

The Welshman smirked, and William and Arthur went forwards, towards the window.

Before they could knock on the window, the curtains parted, revealing the red eyes. The other was staring at them impassively.

"You seem to be able to hear us perfectly," Arthur said. The other nodded. "What about you join us outside and we can have a little chat?"

The other didn't respond, though the curtains fell in front of the window again.

"Now what?" Gilbert asked.

"Tell me something," Arthur said. "Have you ever heard of the 'siren's march'? William is particularly good at it. If you don't come out, we'll let those humans inside come out instead, and there's really no guarantee that they would be able to get out of it. We'll give you five minutes."

…

Vlad gritted his teeth. He heard what the other had said, and he knew that he was asking for trouble. It was only ten at night, and there was still a long time until morning.

"What is it?" Feliciano asked.

"They want me to go outside," Vlad said. "If I don't comply, they'll use magic to lure you out instead. I don't have to explain what could happen."

"But, why do they want _you_ outside?" Matthew asked.

"Because they know I'm pretty powerful," Vlad said. "They're either going to try to negotiate with me, or try to kill me and claim my power for themselves. It can happen, and it's one of the reasons why there weren't so many vampires until after the outbreak. It's why minor vampires wouldn't _dare_ attack those that have been around for a long time, like our friends outside."

"And what if they kill you?" Lovino asked, looking wide-eyed at the vampire.

"It's not going to happen," Vlad said.

"You're pretty confident, aren't you?" Alfred sneered.

"Will you believe me when I say I have a plan?"

…

The seven vampires were waiting impatiently for Vlad to make his choice. William was preparing the spell, but right before he used it, the door opened and closed rapidly, leaving Vlad standing in front of it.

Vlad looked towards the vampires, trying to shake off the disgust he felt with the hungry looks he received.

"Well," Arthur said, "you seem to have an unusual scent. Just like those humans you're… I'm not quite sure what you're doing to them."

"Guarding," Vlad said.

"Really?" Alistair asked. "Because I find it hard to see that. What if the hunger hits you?"

Vlad scoffed.

"I've been sleeping in a church for twenty years," Vlad said. "If _that_ doesn't bring the hunger, nothing will."

"Then why are you staying with those humans?" Arthur asked. "Where's the benefit for you?"

"Let's just say, I have no sympathy for the way this world has become. Vampires were meant to remain in the shadows. _Not_ do what you have been doing."

"Then why don't you do something about that?" Francis asked, smirking.

"I just might," Vlad said. "But I'd rather not attract too much attention to myself."

"And why not?" Arthur asked. "According to these three, you're pretty powerful. You might be able to rival Dracula's legacy."

Vlad scoffed, before he started to chuckle, before it became full-out laughter. The other vampires looked at him in confusion.

"Dracula?" he asked. "You're comparing me to _Dracula_?"

"I take it you don't like him very much," Patrick said.

"On the contrary. He's the only one of my children that I _didn't_ end up hating."

"What?!" the other vampires roared.

Vlad calmed down, but smirked.

"That's right," he said. "I sired Dracula. It was one of those deal-sires. I sired him so that he could do something. Protect his family, his people… Once his promise was fulfilled, he waited for the dawn's light."

"That's not what we heard," Arthur said.

"If you're referring to the book by Bram Stoker – that's fiction. I am, and will always be, the only witness to the events that transpired there. Even Dracula's own children – the few that are still around – have no idea of the events that transpired. Not everything, at least."

"You're bluffing," Gilbert said.

"Then why don't you see for yourselves?" Vlad asked. "Oh wait, you can't touch my blood. It's toxic to you."

"Just how the hell did _that_ happen, anyway?"

"Piss off a few angels, mess with a few demons… I'm honestly not sure anymore."

Vlad was lying. He knew full well why his blood was like that, but he wouldn't tell the vampires. He had gotten into enough trouble because of his blood.

"How old are you, to be able to play on the same field as higher beings?" Arthur asked.

"'Higher beings'?" Vlad barked in laughter. "You're joking. They aren't higher beings. Stronger, maybe, but not higher. They have their rules to live by, and neither an angel or demon could cross the line."

"You didn't answer our question," Alistair said. "How old are you?"

Vlad smirked.

"I'd rather keep my exact age a secret," he said. "Just know that I'm older than all of you combined."

"Now I can't help wondering what you want with those humans," Alistair said. "You said you're guarding them. Why bother? Unless those humans are… something special."

"Which would explain their scents," Patrick said. "Well now. That's interesting. You wouldn't happen to know if there are any more like them, would you?"

Vlad's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Da, but I'm not telling you what's so special about them," Vlad said.

"Figures," Arthur said. "But tell me, do they trust you?"

Vlad narrowed his eyes even more. He knew _exactly_ where this was going.

While he they had been speaking, William and Antonio had crept around, and were now on either side of Vlad. Vlad was completely aware of them, of course, but didn't do anything to acknowledge them.

At least, not until the two of them pounced.

Vlad was faster, and darted forward to avoid the other two. But that gave the others the cue to attack.

Inside, the humans were watching, and they stared in horror as the seven vampires attacked Vlad. Vlad tried his best to dodge them, contemplating whether or not to summon his wings, but he screamed when a fireball collided with his back. He turned to see William creating another.

Vlad's eyes widened, and he decided to put some distance between himself and the other vampires. He summoned his wings, and with a mighty flap he was in the air, avoiding the fireball.

"Bloody hell," Arthur said, staring at Vlad's wings.

When a vampire usually had wings, they resembled those of a bat. _Not_ a bird.

Vlad hovered in the air for a while, trying to recover. He was not a fighter. Never had been, and never would be. The only reason he knew what he knew about combat was because he didn't want to make it easier for Elizabeta.

"Where are you?" he muttered, eyes discreetly scanning the area.

He gasped when he felt something curl around his ankle, and he looked down to see a root. Before he could do anything about it, though, electricity coursed through his body, causing him to cry out in pain.

" _That's_ the benefit of magic," Arthur said, looking towards Antonio with a smug expression.

Vlad allowed the root to wither away, but it had done his job in allowing his wings to pause, bringing him down to the earth once again. And no sooner had he landed than Gilbert, in his wolf form, pounced on him, biting the base of his left wing, earning yet another cry from Vlad.

"What the hell is he doing?" Lovino asked, eyes wide. "Come on, I know you can take those bastards."

"He's stalling," Jason said.

"What?"

"He's holding back, and he keeps looking around. He's stalling."

"But what's he waiting for?"

"You know," Alfred said, looking oddly at Lovino, "you seem to be pretty protective of that vampire."

"The bastard saved me from a living hell. I owe him that much."

Vlad grunted as he was punched in the stomach, before he was pushed to the ground. Before he could stand, Antonio was looming over him, a stake in his hands. That was when he realised that the Kirkland brothers had used their magic to create the weapon.

"Any last words?" Antonio asked, smirking.

"You're going to regret this," Vlad said, his own smirk on his face.

Antonio's eyes narrowed, before he pushed the stake into Vlad's heart.

Vlad cried out in pain, and the other vampires were celebrating their victory, until a few seconds passed and they realised that Vlad wasn't turning into dust.

Suddenly, the vampires were pushed away from Vlad by an invisible force, and they looked up to see three other figures looming over him. One of them stepped forward, dressed in black, and he crouched down next to Vlad.

"I thought you didn't like fighting?" the other asked.

"And I thought you're not allowed to save someone's life," Vlad said, smirking.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, before he pulled the stake out, causing Vlad to cry out in pain once again.

"Considering the fact that you can't die, I'm not breaking any rules," Dimitri said.

"What the _hell_?!" Antonio shouted, forcing himself to his feet.

"He has one of the most advanced healing abilities in heaven, earth and hell," one of the others, Klara, explained. "So advanced, in fact, that he cannot die, no matter what is used against him."

"But we still don't appreciate someone trying to kill our friend," the last figure, Samuel, said.

"How'd you even get here?" Arthur asked.

"And what the hell are you?" Alistair asked.

"'It doesn't matter if you're a king or a sweeper'," Klara quoted.

"'Everyone dances in front of the Reaper'," Samuel finished.

The three then summoned their wings, but unlike Vlad's pitch black, they were an ash grey. They also each summoned scythes.

"Get inside," Dimitri said, looking towards Vlad.

"D-da," he said, going as fast as he could with his wound until he was at the door.

He paused, before he stuck his tongue out at the vampires, and ducked inside the house.

"What the hell?" Lovino roared, rushing towards Vlad.

"Get away from the window," Vlad said calmly. "Angels of death don't like it if they have an audience."

"Angels?" Feliciano asked. "But… their wings…"

"Different angels have different features," Vlad said. "Angels of death have grey wings. Angels of war have white wings with red tips. Angels of music have tattoos carved on their back in blue. Nephilim have wings in different shades of grey…"

"You mean we can get wings?" Alfred asked.

"Da. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower to get this blood off me."

 **Klara and Samuel are the names I used for my Czech and Slovakia OCs in Game of Mirrors. Since then they've become canon, but I decided to stick with the names. And Dimitri is Bulgaria.**

 **And if you're wondering why Romania is the way he is… it'll reveal itself in time.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Thanks to NekoRyuuKo, TrefleV and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 6**

Vlad sighed as he stood under the spray, allowing the water to clean away his blood. The wound had sealed itself, though now it was starting to itch really badly through the pain. It would stop in an hour or so.

Regular wounds were only a tickle. Fatal wounds itched quite a bit. And wounds that could kill a vampire hurt like hell.

Once again, he cursed his immortality, along with the demon responsible for his existence. Sometimes he wondered if it would be better if he could die. But of course, that would always be impossible. There were only a handful that could do that, and most of them enjoyed his suffering too much.

He missed the way things were before. He missed the warmth of the sunshine, how he could feel life all around him. The cold he found himself in, the misery of death… It wasn't right. He didn't belong there. It wasn't his rightful place.

Tears streamed down his face, and the water washed them away. He moved a shaky hand towards his chest, where his heart rested and where the stake had pierced him. And through the silver, an intricate pattern of gold could be found.

The pattern was circular, with intricate vine-like patterns and even floral shapes. The mark represented everything that he had once been and could never be again.

And yet, his old nature kept resurfacing. He had only been awake for a little over twenty four hours, and he had already spoken to six angels, had befriended a few Nephilim, and even found…

He shook his head, pondering once again. He had found the most dangerous thing he could ever find: hope. And that was something that he couldn't afford. If _he_ found out, then his hope would be snatched away, and this time there would be no escape from it.

After the water had turned cold, he turned it off and stepped out of the shower. His eyes instantly fell on the clothes that had been laid out for him, and he wondered who had left it. Inhaling quickly, he realised that it was Lovino. He supposed that he shouldn't really be surprised, all things considered.

Vlad looked towards the mirror, where no reflection stared back at him. It was a relief, in a way. He couldn't see what he had become.

…

The humans sat in the living room, nervously looking towards the window. The curtains were closed, and they were dying to see what was happening outside, but Vlad had warned them that angels of death didn't like an audience, and the things they would do were not what they needed to see.

He explained that they had already been traumatised enough in their lives.

"There's something I still don't get," Jason said. "Why didn't Vlad die from the stake?"

"It might be because he's friends with those angels of death," Matthew said. "But… What _I_ want to know is how they even knew to come here."

"Simple," Vlad said, appearing in the doorway. "Angels of death can handle being in this world after the Outbreak. It's not stifling for them. Angels of life would find this world particularly cold and unbearable. The three of them were probably in the area, and they sensed that I got a fatal wound. The three of them are extremely close friends, and so they came to help."

"How'd you make friends with them?" Feliciano asked.

Vlad ignored the question, and turned to regard Lovino.

"Thanks for the clothes," he said.

Lovino flushed slightly.

"What makes you think it was me?" he demanded.

"Your scent."

"…Oh."

Vlad went to sit down on the armchair, and winced slightly at the pain.

"Are you okay?" Matthew asked.

"I'll be fine in an hour or two," Vlad said. "These types of wounds always hurt like a bitch."

"Why aren't you dead?" Alfred asked.

"Aren't I?" Vlad asked, smiling bitterly. "There are a few reasons. One of them is because the demon that's after me won't even let me die in order to escape from him."

"A curse?" Matthew asked.

Vlad bit his lip and nodded. He suddenly looked very tired.

"I'm going to sleep," he said. "I suggest you do the same. It's late, and we'll have to leave early. Feliks said he'd be here before dawn, though knowing him, it might be later."

Vlad then curled up on the armchair, his arm draped over his head.

"But…" Alfred said.

"Sleep. Please."

The seven seemed to get the message, and they left the vampire in the living room, curled up and apparently asleep.

Lovino and Feliciano went to Lovino's room, Alfred and Matthew to Feliciano's room, and the other three went to Marcello's room.

It took them a while to fall asleep.

…

Feliciano clung to his brother, hoping to get Lovino to stop thrashing around. The other was whimpering and pleading, and even crying. He didn't want to know what kind of nightmare he was having, but if he didn't wake up soon, he could hurt himself.

"Ve, Fratello," Feliciano said. "Please, wake up. Come on."

When his brother had stilled somewhat, Feliciano took the opportunity to try to shake him awake. He was punched in the cheek in the process, but he needed to get his older brother awake.

Finally, Lovino's eyes snapped open, and he let out a sob. Feliciano sighed in relief.

"Fratello, are you okay?" he asked.

Lovino looked over towards him, tears streaming down his face.

"I…" Lovino said. "I can't… I have to…"

"Do you want Vlad to take the nightmares away again?" Feliciano asked.

Lovino swallowed before nodding his head, and he stood on shaky feet to go to the vampire.

Lovino made his way slowly to the living room, taking care to not fall on the stairs. He didn't want to wake anyone else, especially Alfred, who just couldn't trust the vampire.

Lovino didn't know why he felt so attached to Vlad, only that it made him angry when Alfred was like that towards the vampire. He had saved Lovino's life, and had vowed to protect them. He had even gone to fight the vampires so that they would leave them alone, even though he didn't want to fight.

But there was something else about the vampire that he just couldn't figure out.

Lovino finally reached the living room and looked towards Vlad. He hadn't moved since they left him, but when Lovino walked closer he lifted his arm, looking at him blankly.

"I…" Lovino started, before he swallowed nervously. "Could you… like last night?"

Vlad seemed to understand what he was trying to ask, and he moved away from the armchair, going towards the couch. He lay down on his side, allowing Lovino to cuddle up next to him. And somehow, the Italian didn't protest.

As Lovino cuddled against Vlad's chest, he noticed that he wasn't cold, like other vampires, but he wasn't warm either. He was somewhere in the middle. Lovino jumped slightly when the wings reappeared, before wrapping around him. He couldn't help but notice how warm they were.

"Sleep tight," Vlad said, before his eyes drifted closed.

He couldn't say 'sweet dreams'. The point of this was to make sure that Lovino didn't dream.

"Hey, why are you so tired?" Lovino asked, finding it strange that the vampire wanted to sleep at night.

"I'm hurt," Vlad explained. "I need to sleep to help me heal."

Lovino nodded in understanding, and rested his head against Vlad's chest, where he heard a rhythmic…

Lovino pulled back slightly, and checking to see if Vlad had his eyes closed, he moved his hand so that it was resting on Vlad's chest.

He didn't imagine it. It could not be called steady or relaxed, but it was there.

A heartbeat.

Lovino frowned in confusion. He knew first-hand that vampires didn't _have_ heartbeats. They didn't have a pulse at all. But there was no mistaking the rhythm under his fingertips.

Allowing the rhythm to soothe him, Lovino closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

…

 _A figure lay curled up on the ground, his black wings curled around him in a protective cocoon. The figure was crying._

 _Another figure approached, large and threatening. The smaller figure uncurled just enough to see the larger one._

" _Look how far you have fallen," the new figure said. "Now, why don't you come with me? I'm sure Prince Lucifer would be happy to see you, comrade."_

" _I didn't fall," the smaller said. "I was pushed. And dragged. And I'm not going with you."_

" _You have no choice. You lost your purpose. There is no place for you anymore."_

 _The figure spoke in a voice so cheerful that it was enough to send shivers down someone's spine._

" _Then I will find a new purpose, and a new place," the smaller said. "But it won't be with you. It won't be anywhere near you."_

" _I see. Even though I dragged you and others pushed you, you didn't fall. I think we should correct that, da?"_

 _The image faded away, only to be replaced by the scream of the smaller figure._

…

Lovino awoke with a start. He had hoped to get a night without nightmares, but that didn't seem to happen.

But it wasn't _his_ nightmare. He was looking from an outside perspective. And the smaller figure…

Lovino could recognise the strawberry blond hair and the black wings. And he knew the voice well enough.

He looked over towards Vlad's face, only to find the vampire looking down at him with an unreadable expression.

"Sorry," Vlad said.

"What are you apologising for?" Lovino asked.

"You came here to be free from nightmares, and I accidentally passed on one of mine."

"Oh. Well… want to talk about it?"

Vlad slowly shook his head, glancing towards the window.

"Feliks is late," he whispered. "Just like I predicted."

Lovino frowned, not satisfied with the change of subject.

"Who was that big bastard?" Lovino asked.

Vlad was silent for a moment.

"You already know the answer to that question," Vlad said.

"What? How could…?" Lovino's eyes widened in realisation. "He's that demon, isn't he?"

"Da. The one responsible for ruining my life. I lost _everything_ because of him."

"Why'd he do that? What did you ever do to him?"

"Nothing. But when the former Prince Lucifer of Heaven who became Prince Lucifer of Hell wanted something, then he or his underlings wouldn't stop until they've got it."

"What did he want?"

"…Me. Please, can we stop talking about this? It hurts."

Lovino scowled but settled back against Vlad's chest. The heartbeat was still there, though it was a little relaxed now.

Lovino closed his eyes, secretly hoping that he would see another bit of Vlad's past, but all he received in response was blissful oblivion.

…

Lovino was nudged awake, and it took him a moment to realise that he was still snuggled in Vlad's arms. The wings had disappeared.

"What is it?" Lovino asked, not even bothering to hide his yawn.

"The others have started to wake up," Vlad said. "I'm assuming that you wouldn't want them to see you like this."

Lovino frowned, but nodded his head. He carefully moved away from Vlad, and the vampire sat up as well.

Neither of them said a word about what Lovino had seen. It had taken Lovino a while, but he realised that he wouldn't want anyone else to know about his time with the Bad Touch Trio.

"Are those bastards dead?" Lovino asked, looking at the window.

"No," Vlad said. "Even though they're angels of death, they weren't in the killing mood. More like… torture and punishment. They're _really_ close friends of mine. But I don't think we'll be seeing them anytime soon. By the time they've recovered, we'd be long gone."

"How do you know your friend is still coming?"

"Because even though Feliks can come across as selfish, airheaded and bratty, he's pretty reliable. There are few beings that I trust more than him. And I know that Feliks would never purposely let me down."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I told you that Feliks is a phoenix, right? Well, he has a lot of instincts of a bird. One of them in particular. Imprinting. Do you know what that is?"

"Not really."

"When a bird hatches, they imprint on the first living thing they see. It becomes their parent. Feliks imprinted on me, and he would do anything to keep me as happy as possible."

"So… are you his mommy or daddy?"

Vlad snorted, and rolled his eyes. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, though, and Lovino felt his own smile.

The smile faded when Matthew walked into the room, though the blond didn't acknowledge the two, going towards the kitchen. Lovino sighed in relief, knowing that Matthew wasn't like his brother, who would _definitely_ make the situation more uncomfortable by making Lovino angry.

But _was_ the situation uncomfortable? Lovino didn't even know anymore.

…

They had already eaten breakfast when Vlad sighed, staring at the door. He walked closer, and he remained at the doorway.

"Lovino," Vlad said, "do you think you can open the door. Feliks is here."

A moment later, they heard a car pull into the driveway, and Lovino walked closer.

"How'd you know that it was him?" Alfred asked.

"His scent," Vlad sighed. "I can smell the smoke and ash from a distance."

There was an energetic knocking on the door, and Lovino sighed, before he went to open the door. He frowned when he saw the man (?) standing there, who had ribbons in his hair and who was wearing a skirt…

Vlad said that Feliks was a guy, right?

It certainly looked like the guy that Lovino had seen in the mirror.

The other smiled, and it looked a little _too_ friendly.

"Like, you're…" the other started.

"You're late," Vlad said, his tone not amused.

Feliks pushed past Lovino and tackled Vlad in a hug.

"Like, I'm sorry," Feliks said. "Like, while I was driving I noticed that I like needed gas. But when I like got there, there were a bunch of vampires, and, like, they heard my heartbeat but didn't notice my scent. Like, total newbies. So they were messing with me, and I lost my temper, and…"

"And that explains the scent of gasoline," Vlad sighed. "Feliks, you need to be more careful."

"Like, I'm sorry!"

Lovino had closed the door and was looking at the two in bewilderment. They were supposed to count on _this_ person to help protect them?

They went towards the others, Feliks chattering endlessly, but when he saw the others he froze up, before he clung tighter to Vlad, even hugging his legs around the vampire's waist.

Vlad merely sighed.

"I'll never understand you," Vlad said. "You can pick a fight with an entire coven of vampires. You've challenged an army of demons. You've bitch slapped angels of war. You're a giant _firebird_ , for crying out loud. Why is it that the prospect of meeting new people scares you?"

"Like, stranger danger!" Feliks cried out, burying his face in Vlad's neck. "Vlad, where's your trench coat? Like, you've been wearing them since they were, like, invented. So why…?"

"Something happened," Vlad said. "I'll explain later."

"Are we really going to let someone like _this_ protect us?" Alfred scoffed. "Dude, this is some kind of joke."

Feliks glared towards Alfred, his eyes changing from green to amber, looking almost like a bird of prey.

"Al, be nice," Matthew scolded. "I mean, that angel didn't seem to have a problem with him."

"Like, I like him," Feliks said. "He's a guardian angel in the making."

"Guardian angel?" Matthew asked.

"Feliks has no sense of scent," Vlad said. "So he can see things that others can't. Including what kind of angel a Nephilim would be. Matthew here is a guardian angel, apparently."

"And what about me?" Alfred asked.

"Like, you're an angel of war," Feliks said in a flat tone.

"That explains so much," Vlad muttered. "Now, we have a little bit of a problem, Feliks. Seeing as you didn't come _before dawn_."

"Like, I'm sorry. But, like, I could take them right now, and you can, like, join us when the sun had set. I'm sorry."

Vlad sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine," Vlad said. "Whatever."

"We'll just need to go home and get our clothes," Matthew said, looking at his brothers.

"Like, no probs," Feliks said. "Like, my van's waiting outside."

"What about me?" Hans asked, pouting.

Feliks let go of Vlad to go towards the youngest, and he grabbed one of the boy's plaits.

"Like, I have a feeling that I have clothes that you would like," Feliks said.

Hans eyed the phoenix nervously. Feliks turned to Vlad.

"Like, you remember where I live, right?" Feliks asked.

"Da," Vlad said. "Now, get moving. You need to be there before sunset."

"Okie dokie!"

…

"I think we were safer with the vampires hunting us," Alfred said, clinging to the seat.

Feliks was ignoring every single traffic law in existence, and they were thankful that there weren't other drivers on the road. No one liked travelling too far after the Outbreak.

"When will we get there?" Matthew asked.

"Like, a few hours," Feliks responded.

The Americans groaned, and Hans looked worried, though the Italians didn't seem bothered by the way the phoenix was driving.

…

Vlad was alone now, and the silence closed in on him. He was bound by the sunlight, unable to join the others. Though when he thought about Feliks's driving, he was glad that he wasn't joining them.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked.

Vlad sighed, before he turned to face the angel that had appeared.

"I thought I'd lost it all," Vlad said. "That I left it all behind. Now… I don't know what to think."

Dimitri sighed, shaking his head.

"You deserve it, Vlad," Dimitri said. "No one deserves happiness more than you."

"How can I allow myself to be happy?" Vlad asked. "When _he_ finds out… I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Try to be happy for as long as you can. Remember, even fallen angels have the chance of finding their heartwing."

"But I'm not a fallen angel, now am I?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Thanks to MisakiIsMyWaifu4everz, ScandinavianTrash, KathAmbrosius67 and NekuRyuuKo for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 7**

Lovino was sitting in the passenger seat next to Feliks. It would seem that even though Vlad had said Feliks was uncomfortable around strangers, the blond didn't mind him that much. He couldn't understand it. No one usually preferred his company, especially not when Feliciano or Marcello were around.

"Hey bastard," Lovino said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Like, didn't you?" Feliks quipped, sticking his tongue out playfully.

Lovino simply stared at him, and Feliks sighed.

"Like, you're no fun," Feliks said. "Like, fine, totes."

"Vlad said you don't like meeting new people," Lovino said. "But, why don't you have a problem with me?"

"Like, 'cause I already met you yesterday, remember?" Feliks said. "And, like, I know that you and Vlad are close, so I know that you're okay."

Lovino scowled.

"I only met the bastard two nights ago," Lovino said.

"Like, doesn't matter. You and Vlad… But, like, if he hasn't told you, I'm going to keep the surprise."

Lovino scowled.

"Hasn't told me what?" Lovino asked.

"Like, never mind," Feliks said, a knowing smirk on his face. "So, like, you probably want to know what kind of angel you'd be."

"I can live without that information."

"Aw, but why?"

Lovino didn't answer, but instead looked out the window.

"Like, you're seriously no fun. You totally need to spend more time with Vlad. Like, if he's not worrying about that Winter bastard, then he's, like, totally the most fun person ever. Like, he's a total prankster, and he's pranked a bunch of angels of war. Like, usually everyone's so scared of them, but not him. There's one he especially likes to mess with. Like, the things he'd do to Lizzy are _hilarious_."

"What's the deal between them, anyway?"

"Like, you wouldn't _believe_. Like, there was this one time during the Nephilim Hunt…"

"The _what_?!"

"Like, don't interrupt. Like, that was before angels knew what you guys would end up being. Like, angels can't have kids with each other, so when they want a family, they totally need to get it on with humans. And, like, because there are new beings with angel powers, they got worried, so the angels like totally started hunting down and killing the kids of other angels. Liz was on the frontlines. And, like, Vlad didn't like what they were doing, so he started getting Nephilim to protect them. Like, Liz didn't like him for that. Vlad trained them so that the angels _couldn't_ kill them."

"That Hunt… How'd it end?"

"Like, one of the angels that took part found out her heartwing was a Nephilim and, like, _couldn't_ kill him. When the angels found out that the missing heartwings could be found in the Nephilim, they stopped hunting. Vlad liked to rub it in Liz's face."

"Is that heartwing thing really that important?"

"Like, totally. Angels are made in twos, but they realised pretty early on that not everyone had heartwings. And because no more angels could be born in heaven, they started to freak out. Some of those _without_ heartwings went to find companionship in humans. Like, that's usually how you Nephilim are born. An angel's heartwing is a bond made in heaven, like, _literally_ , and because there's a chance that someone's heartwing could be a Nephilim, you guys are pretty much left alone. Not every Nephilim turns out as an angel's heartwing, and only the angel whose heartwing it is would be able to see it. Other angels and creatures like me can see the heartwing connection if _both_ are in your eyesight _at the same time_. To angels, it's like totally the most sacred rule: Don't mess with someone's heartwing."

"What happens when you do?"

"Like, then no matter what kind of angel you are or what kind of rules bind you, you _are_ allowed to torture the guy in as cruel a way as possible. Like, even demons are afraid of that, but if they want to hurt an angel, then they would like totally hurt their heartwing to do that."

"Do demons mess with angels a lot?"

"Like, totally. The demons were also angels, but they got kicked out after a rebellion. And they're like totally busy trying to increase their numbers by getting angels to fall, and after they fall they'd give in to their anger and bitterness and become demons. Like, angels of war or justice are easy to turn into demons, while an angel of life is totally the most difficult. Like, it's been thousands of years, but even though he like totally fell, he's _still_ not a demon."

"How do you know all this?"

"Like, Vlad told me."

"And how does _he_ know all of this?"

"Like…"

"Stop the car!" Jason suddenly shouted.

Feliks yelped and slammed on the brakes, bringing the minivan to a screeching halt. The dark-haired American forced the door open, and he didn't get far before he started emptying the contents of his stomach.

"Like, totally gross," Feliks said. "But, like, I guess I should be happy that he didn't do it in here. Like, it would probably take _forever_ to get the smell out, especially considering that I totally can't smell anything."

"Um, could you maybe drive a little slower?" Matthew asked, and he also looked a little green.

Feliks pouted.

"Like, fine," he said. "Just no more pit stops."

"Not even for food or a bathroom break?" Alfred asked.

"Like, only when I need to refuel then. And, like, if that happens, _please_ don't make me angry."

"Why? What's going to happen?"

"Like, I have feathers made of _fire_ , and if I'm angry, I, like, totally can't control how much fire I release, and, well… That's why I was late, and I don't want Vlad mad at me again because I was late. At least not twice in a row."

"So you probably need to keep your mouth closed, hamburger bastard," Lovino said.

Alfred pouted, but thinking about the explosion that he could cause, he wisely kept quiet.

"Like, are you finished?" Feliks asked, looking outside the window.

Lovino sighed, wondering if he could get Feliks to tell him anything else about Vlad. Specifically, he wanted to know why the vampire had a heartbeat and what that dream was all about.

After Jason had recovered from his carsickness he climbed back inside, and Feliks started the vehicle once again, though he was driving a little more carefully than he did before. The Italians were disappointed, but the Americans were relieved. Hans remained quiet about his emotions.

They were silent for a while, the Jones siblings trying to get over their carsickness, and the Vargas siblings were trying to think of something to say.

Finally, it was Alfred that broke the silence.

"So Lovi, you _still_ didn't tell us what exactly happened to you while you were gone," Alfred said.

Lovino's expression darkened, and even Feliks shuddered at his anger.

"And I'm not going to, you bastard," Lovino snarled. "I don't have a reason to tell you a single damn thing."

"I thought we were friends," Alfred said.

"Then get it in your stupid head that I don't _want_ to tell you. I don't want to talk about it _at all_."

"Does Vlad know?" Alfred asked suspiciously.

Lovino faltered, his scowl dropping for a moment before reappearing.

"Only because the bastard read my mind without permission," Lovino said.

"Like, really?" Feliks asked. "Huh. He doesn't usually do that. Like, that's one of his most sacred rules. 'Ask permission before invading someone's privacy.' But, like, what happened?"

"Nothing," Lovino snapped.

They were silent for a little while longer, and Feliks decided that now would be a good time to turn on the radio.

"… _Vampire Lord Yao Wang has stated that whoever stole his precious stone would die a million deaths. No clue as to who stole the vampire's gemstone…"_

"Like, really?" Feliks asked. "A vampire's going on a rampage because someone stole a gem from him? And it's published? Like, I miss the days when vampires lurked in the shadows. Like, at least then they totally had class."

Lovino didn't say what he thought about it, so he kept quiet.

"Hey, do you know what Vlad was like as a human?" Matthew asked.

Feliks looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened briefly and he shook his head.

"Like, didn't know him back then," Feliks said. "I'm only five thousand. Like, Vlad totally has a few thousand years on me."

"By the way," Lovino said, a small smirk on his face. "Vlad said you imprinted on him. Is that true?"

"Like, yeah, I guess," Feliks said, chuckling. "Vlad was the first living thing I saw. He's like an older brother to me. Like, I'd do anything for him."

Oh, so it was big brother. Lovino wanted to know if Vlad was the mommy or the daddy. Apparently, it was neither.

That was a bit disappointing.

…

Dimitri smiled, watching over Vlad as he slept. The vampire was exhausted, and he had yet to recover from the should-be-fatal wound he had received the previous night.

It always pained him to see Vlad like that. He was meant to walk in the sun. To _fly_ underneath the warm glow. He was meant to be in the warmth, surrounded by life and happiness. Not death and despair.

He didn't know how long Vlad would be able to hold out against _him_. The monster responsible for it all. And just because he had something very valuable, which could only work if it was freely given.

Vlad had suffered more than anyone else Dimitri knew. He had seen other angels turn into demons within a few years. They were weak. They couldn't handle the torture.

And neither could Vlad.

How many times had Dimitri helped clean Vlad's wounds? How many times did Klara hold him as he cried? How many times did the bright red eyes turn dark and distant?

How many times had Vlad begged for death?

But it was impossible. They all knew it. Only a handful had the power to kill Vlad, and most of them wanted his most precious ability for themselves. And another didn't want to see Vlad throw his life away to make his suffering end.

Perhaps the boy could help? He had been on that roof with many other angels. He _saw_ the connection between Vlad and the boy. And Dimitri had seen something in Vlad's eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time.

Hope.

The boy was Vlad's hope, and not just Vlad's. Vlad had many friends, and all of them wanted to see the vampire escape the suffering that he had been forcefully subjected to. Nine thousand years was a long time, even for immortal beings.

There were two others that would _especially_ be happy to see Vlad escape from the cold that surrounded him.

…

As Feliks had promised, they got a chance to rest when the minivan needed to refuel. Everyone went to the bathroom first, having driven all morning without a chance (and not knowing when they'd get a chance again), while Feliks went to the diner and saved them a seat.

The eight of them ordered something, before lapsing into silence. Asides from them, there were only three other people in the diner, each of them travelling alone, so it was quiet.

Feliks was glaring at another patron, who seemed to be glaring back. Feliks's eyes went amber for a brief moment, and the other looked away.

Matthew noticed this behaviour and turned to Feliks.

"What's _that_ all about?" Matthew asked.

"Like, he's a werewolf," Feliks explained.

"What?!" Alfred shouted, looking over to the supposed werewolf.

"Like, keep it down," Feliks said. "He can hear you without the shouting."

Alfred nodded and settled down.

"So, werewolves are real too," Jason said.

"Yeah, but, like, be careful. Vampires aren't like the only things that find your scent appealing. And that whole thing of werewolves only transforming in the full moon, _totally_ bogus. So, like, he could transform at any time."

"Then why doesn't he?" Lovino asked.

"Like, because he can smell _me_ too. Like, people always tell me I smell like fire. Makes sense. And both vampires and werewolves are scared of fire. And since we're so close to a gas station, he's not going to try anything. But, like, you should stick with me."

The others nodded, and it was silent again until their orders arrived. Alfred didn't hesitate in eating, but Matthew and Marcello held back.

"What's the problem?" Lovino asked.

"Um, how are we going to pay for all of this?" Marcello asked.

The others froze, except for Feliks, who sighed and removed a wallet, before removing a card.

"Like, I'm immortal and I have expensive taste," Feliks said. "Like, did you think that I wouldn't totally have a bank account or ten?"

"Sweet," Alfred said, resuming his eating.

"How'd you get the money?" Matthew asked.

"Like, I may not look like it, but I know a thing or two about making investments. That, and I've got a few treasures over the years that museums would pay big money for."

"Cool," Alfred said. "So, how much money do you have?"

"Like, not telling. I don't want to get robbed, even if I _can_ burn them to oblivion."

"Ve, there's something I want to know," Feliciano said. "Don't you burn your clothes?"

"Nope. I use fireproof materials when making my clothes, and like, some of the things are enchanted to make them extra fireproof."

Another person entered the diner, and they quickly looked over towards the newcomer. Feliks's eyes widened briefly, before his mouth spread into a grin.

"Raj!" Feliks called out, and the other looked over towards him. "Like, over here."

The newcomer, Raj, smiled as he went over towards the group, his mouth partly open as he smiled. The seven humans fidgeted nervously, while Feliks seemed unbothered.

"Namaste, Feliks," Raj said. "I'm surprised to see you here. Especially with Nephilim."

The seven panicked, and Feliks laughed.

"Like, Vlad asked me to take them to my house," Feliks said.

"Oh, is he protecting them again?"

"Yep. But, like, have a seat." Feliks turned to the seven humans. "Like, Raj here is a naga."

"A _what_?" Alfred asked.

"It's a creature that's half human, half snake," Matthew explained.

"That's right," Raj said. "I'm an old friend of Vlad's. I owe him for saving me from that demon that wanted to make boots out of me."

"Like, different demon," Feliks said quickly. "Oh, and Raj, you'll totally like never believe this."

"What?" Raj asked, a smile on his face.

Feliks leaned over and whispered something into his ear, and Raj's eyes widened before his smile widened. He quickly glanced over towards Lovino, before looking over towards Feliks.

"That is probably the best news I've heard in two hundred years," Raj said.

"What?" Feliciano asked, looking between the two immortal beings.

"Like, don't worry about it," Feliks said, waving his hand absently. "So, like, where you headed?"

"To the coast," Raj said. "You know, get a little sun. Or I could just hug you."

Feliks chuckled, before turning to the others.

"Like, Raj has really cold blood," Feliks explained. "He needs to soak in the sun to make sure he has body heat, otherwise he could totally turn to stone. And, like, because I'm fire, I'm a lot warmer than humans, so, like, Raj could just hold onto me to get the heat he needs. But, like, not cool. I'm on a mission from Vlad, and, like, I won't fail him."

"Understandable," Raj said.

The waitress arrived to take Raj's order, and he smiled quite charmingly as he spoke to her. Feliks snickered as he watched the display.

"You get better service if you're charming," Raj said after the waitress left. "So, what else is new?"

The two immortals made small talk, sharing stories and making the seven humans realise just how young they really were. The only one who had a story that would interest the two immortals was Lovino, but he wasn't about to reveal to them all he had been through with the vampire trio.

It was bad enough that Vlad knew.

As the thought crossed his mind, an idea began to form. Vlad knew more about his past than he was willing to share, and he knew only a few things about Vlad, but nothing that he _wanted_ to know. He could _probably_ have a word with Vlad and blackmail him into telling him what he wanted to know.

Eventually the meals were finished and paid for, and the large group made their way outside. But just as they were about to part ways, Raj grabbed Lovino and pulled him aside.

"What the hell?" Lovino huffed, trying to pull away from the naga.

"Take care of Vlad," Raj said in a low voice.

"What?"

"Vlad's suffered more than you would believe, and he's been pushed too far. He's not too far from completely falling. Make sure he doesn't fall."

"What would _I_ even be able to do? I mean, I'm…"

Lovino couldn't finish his thought, and instead looked to the side. Raj smiled gently.

"You can help Vlad more than you'd believe," Raj said. "Maybe it's fitting. It would seem that the both of you had suffered in the past. You could help fix each other."

Lovino looked over towards Raj, but he shook his head and turned away.

"I might see you guys again," Raj called out to the others. "Don't drive them crazy, Feliks!"

The phoenix stuck out his tongue playfully, and the group made their way to Feliks's dark pink minivan.

Lovino looked back towards the naga, who was climbing into his own car, still confused about what he said.

"Ve, fratello?" Feliciano said. "What did he want?"

"It's none of your damn business," Lovino growled, climbing into his seat next to Feliks.

He couldn't help but think back to Raj's request for him to take care of Vlad. He had _no_ idea how he should go about it, but he knew that he _wanted_ to do it.

And he had no idea why _he_ was the one to do it.

 **I had to add India. He needs more attention.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Thanks to Time Turner, Abc, Adorable Reader, ThisIsTheEarth, Under Celestial Stars, Lovesbugsalot, ScandinavianTrash, NekoRyuuKo and KathAmbrosius67 for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 8**

After their stomachs had been filled and with Feliks driving a lot more carefully than he did before, the seven humans fell asleep. Feliks didn't mind. It allowed him a chance to think about everything.

He was happy for Vlad. He had finally found that which had eluded him for thousands of years. Something he thought he would _never_ find. And while he was a little rough around the edges, Feliks had a feeling that Lovino would be good for him.

But if _he_ found out… It could be the last encounter between Vlad and the Winter King. Vlad's hope could be completely destroyed, and Ivan would have what he's wanted for centuries: for Vlad to become a demon. And _then_ they'd be doomed.

Vlad's gift was very valuable. Even Feliks, who had no use for it, could see that. And he had seen how demons gunned for Vlad, but there was only one that was a threat. But for Vlad to reveal his gift to you, it was a symbol of trust – the most _precious_ symbol of trust.

Feliks glanced towards the sleeping Lovino. The phoenix could see _exactly_ what was hidden under Lovino's harsh exterior, and he couldn't help but think it was well-suited.

Both of them had suffered, through sacrifices of blood and tears.

…

Two hours later found them driving underneath a canopy of trees. The road cut through a rather dense forest, and the shade made it seem as though night had already fallen.

Feliks looked around at the ones that were awake: Lovino, Jason and Matthew. It was time to have fun.

He slowed down, before he sharply turned to the right, and the three yelped when they saw him apparently planning to drive into a tree.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lovino shouted, and Marcello and Hans were woken by the shout.

The humans all braced themselves when they saw the tree, only for the van to go right through it, as though it wasn't there. In fact, they had ended up on a dirt road, though it was surprisingly smooth.

"What just happened?" Matthew questioned.

"Like, glamour spell," Feliks explained. "Like, this road is totally hidden to everyone that doesn't like know where it is. The same with my house. Like, no one that I don't know could come here. Well, unless the barrier totally breaks…"

"Are you _trying_ to give us heart attacks?!" Jason demanded.

"Like, you're safe. No probs. And the other two slept through it."

"Al can sleep through anything," Matthew sighed.

"Si," Marcello said. "Feliciano is the same."

Lovino was quiet for a moment, before he turned to Feliks.

"Would Vlad be able to find us?" he asked.

"Like, totes," Feliks said. "Like, this is one of his favourite places to totally crash, when he doesn't take a long nap."

"How long will it take for Vlad to fly here?" Lovino asked.

Feliks smiled a secret smile.

"Like, it shouldn't take him more than an hour or two. Like, his flight speed is totally incredible."

"I know," Lovino said. "I need to talk to him."

"Oh? Like, what about?"

"None of your damn business!"

"Touchy, especially for someone like you."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Like, it means I can see what kind of angel you like are, and the type…"

"I said I don't want to know."

"Like, I promise that it isn't something totally lame."

"I don't care. I don't want to know."

"Fine," Feliks huffed. "Like, wake the other two. We're here."

Feliks heard gasps of astonishment when the humans caught sight of his home, and he felt his chest swell with pride. He had worked hard to get the house like that, and it would seem as though it was paying off.

The house was huge, boasting four storeys. It was made of a dark grey stone, the roof a dark pink. There were large French windows, with the exception of the third floor. There was a huge front porch with rosy marble pillars.

Feliks most certainly had expensive taste.

"Like, welcome to my house," Feliks said. "Like, I hope everything's to your liking. Like, you can pick any bedroom you like – I totally have loads."

"This isn't a 'house'," Jason said. "A house suggests that it's one, maybe two storeys. This is a monstrosity."

"I agree," Marcello said, staring up at the large structure in front of them.

They each took their bags, going inside. As soon as they were inside they scattered, trying to find a suitable room for each of them.

Lovino went up to the third floor, trying to see why there were no windows.

At first he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, until he found a bedroom that was obviously used, though it had been a while.

He looked in the closet, and asides from various shirts and pants, he also saw trench coats hanging there, similar to the one that Vlad had worn.

Feliks had said that Vlad liked to come here. This must have been Vlad's room.

Lovino looked around. The room looked comfy, with a large bed, an armchair and a bookshelf. There was no vanity – Vlad had no reflection, so why would he need one?

Lovino left the room and went into the one next to it, choosing it for himself. It was only when he turned on the light that he gasped.

It was a portrait of Vlad, with someone who looked like a miniature version of him, though his hair was brown and his eyes were more of a red-violet. He was sitting on Vlad's lap, and they both had soft smiles on their faces.

Lovino recognised the style as Italian Renaissance. And to see Vlad painted like that made a blush creep on Lovino's face.

"Like, this floor is pretty much Vlad's."

Lovino spun around to see Feliks, and he was quick to set his scowl on his face.

"He can share," Lovino said.

Feliks chuckled, before looking at the painting.

"It's titled 'Brothers Lost'," Feliks said. "It's Vlad's little brother. Like, the two were forced apart by that demon. They see each other very rarely."

Lovino frowned, thinking about his time separated from his brothers. This painting was probably five hundred…

Wait.

Vlad was nine thousand, yet this painting couldn't be older than _five hundred_ , give or take a few years. So why…?

"How's it possible?" Lovino asked. "I mean… Vlad's brother should have died nine thousand years ago."

Feliks ran a hand through his hair, looking as though he was exhausted. Given how energetic the blond proved to be, it was a great feat.

"There's something you should like know about demons," Feliks said. "Contrary to popular belief – they don't like mess with humans. They're not the ones like corrupting you, possessing you – those are spirits. Demons see humans as a total waste of time. Their lives are like too short. It's not fun to them."

Lovino was confused for a moment, before things started to click. He looked back at the portrait.

"Vlad wasn't a human, was he?" Lovino asked.

"Nie. He was something else entirely."

"Why didn't he say anything?"

"For Vlad to reveal his past, he like has to totally trust you. The more like crucial information he shares, the more he trusts you. Like, you need to know that Vlad's been living in constant fear for the last nine thousand years. He, like, lost his family, his friends… Sure, he like made new ones, but he still had lost others. He lost his home, and he like totally lost his hope. Do you know how many times he's tried to kill himself? Like, his very existence is torture for him. Normal vampires like commit suicide by walking out into the sun. Vlad tried that. He burned from dawn 'til dusk, and like he didn't die. He couldn't. And what Vlad used to be… to _want_ death is like a sign that he had totally lost _everything_ about who he used to be. Like, can you imagine being depressed for thousands of years?"

Lovino swallowed a lump in his throat. He had become acquainted with depression – it was hard not to when being a prisoner of _them_. But _thousands_ of years? That was too cruel a fate.

"What was he?" Lovino whispered.

"Like, that's for _him_ to tell you," Feliks said. "I'm already pushing his trust by telling you like all this stuff. I'm not going to break it."

Lovino nodded, accepting the explanation. Maybe he could get the answer out of Vlad. He turned back to the portrait.

"So, who's the painter?" Lovino asked.

"Da Vinci," Feliks said.

Lovino spun round, his eyes wide.

"Wait, _Leonardo_ da Vinci?!"

"Tak. There's also a few by Michelangelo. The two of them were like friends of Vlad's. And when they found out what he was and used to be… Well, they admired him, like, that's for sure. He's like even been considered a muse by both of them."

Lovino didn't know where the pang of jealousy came from, but he squashed it down.

"Can you show me the other paintings?" Lovino asked.

"Like, totally."

…

Vlad awoke at sunset. Dimitri had gone, leaving him alone in the Vargas house.

He sighed, before he looked down at the clothes that Lovino had lent him. There was still a bit of the boy's scent on the clothes.

The corner of Vlad's mouth twitched into a smile, and he made his way to the front door. However, before he could reach it someone appeared in front of it, making him jump in shock.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed. "Eshe, what are you doing here? And did you _have_ to scare me?"

Eshe's mouth twitched into what might have become a smile, but she composed herself swiftly.

"I need you to get my son as well," Eshe said.

Vlad sighed.

"You know, I didn't expect _you_ of all people to have a Nephilim child," Vlad said. "Fine. Where can I find him?"

"He's on your way to the phoenix friend of yours," Eshe said. "So you will only need a quick stop instead of a detour. I will go ahead and inform him of your arrival."

"Great," Vlad said. "That might make things easier."

…

Lovino had gone downstairs to join the others. He looked out the window to see that the sun was setting, and knew that within an hour or so, Vlad would be with them.

'Why do I even care?' Lovino thought. 'I don't. I…'

He couldn't finish that thought. He didn't know why he couldn't wait to see Vlad, and why the thought of Vlad calmed him, as though giving him peace of mind.

'It's just because he saved you,' Lovino thought. 'It's gratitude, and nothing else.'

He wanted to see Vlad, and he wanted to know more about the vampire's past. And no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it was only fair, that the bastard owed him for invading his mind, Lovino couldn't help but think that there was something more.

…

Vlad sighed as he landed in front of a house, having followed Eshe's directions. He could smell the scent of Nephilim, though it was muted by magic, most likely to keep the occupant of the house safe. Knowing that there was a chance for failure, Vlad lifted his fist and knocked on the door.

After a few moments a young man opened the door, and Vlad estimated that he had to be about seventeen. He could clearly see the resemblance with Eshe.

The man stared at him before sighing.

"Are you the one that my mother said would be coming?" the other asked.

"Da," Vlad said. "Vlad Lupenesku."

"Gupta Hassan," the other said. "You would understand if I don't invite you inside, of course?"

"Da," Vlad said. "It's understandable."

Vlad noticed as a dog came to stand next to Gupta, though he paid it no mind. The dog wasn't bothering him.

"My mother said something about you protecting me," Gupta said. "Why?"

Vlad sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Your mother isn't human," Vlad said. "She's actually an angel, which makes you a Nephilim. That makes your blood appealing to vampires, except for me. I don't feed from humans. Anyway, angels can't be in this world for too long, since the atmosphere here has become rather stifling for them, almost toxic. You inherited angelic powers, so the angels are hoping that you and people like you would be able to stop the vampires. I'm probably the only one that knows how to deal with Nephilim – how to train them, how to protect them – and so they asked _me_ to help. Any questions?"

Gupta remained silent, before he looked down at the dog.

"Can we trust him?" Gupta asked.

Vlad saw the dog nod, looking towards him. He arched an eyebrow.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say your mother gave him to you," Vlad said.

"You would be correct," Gupta said. "If you were untrustworthy, he would have attacked you by now, vampire or not. And he seems to think we can trust you."

"And the part about your mother not being human?"

"I suspected that there was something a long time ago. It would explain why I can use magic."

Vlad nodded, though he was a little surprised to hear that the other could use magic.

"Are there others?" Gupta asked. "Others like me?"

"Of course," Vlad said. "A group of them are with a friend of mine – not a vampire – for protection. His home also offers a lot of room for us to practice with."

Gupta scrutinised him for a moment, before nodding his head.

"Very well," he said. "Is there something I need to bring?"

"You can bring your dog," Vlad said. "I'm sure my friend will have clothes for you to wear. We're flying, so I'd prefer to travel light."

Gupta nodded his head in understanding, before stepping out of the house, the dog at his heels.

He watched Vlad closely for a moment, before locking the door. He sighed, picking the dog up and making it comfortable before turning to Vlad.

"Alright," Gupta said. "Let's go."

Vlad nodded, unfurling his wings. He held the man in his arms, noticing how it didn't feel the same as it had felt with Lovino, and he pushed up off the ground, letting his wings take him to Feliks's home and the rest of the Nephilim.

…

Lovino was drumming his fingers impatiently, looking out the window the entire time. He waited anxiously for Vlad to come.

Feliks sat down next to him and Lovino scowled at the phoenix, who was smirking, before turning back to the window.

"Like, a little tip," Feliks said. "Vlad can _show_ you his memories. Like, I know that you're going to ask him and stuff."

"Si, I know," Lovino said. "He accidentally showed me one last night."

"Oh? Like, what was it about?"

"I can't completely remember. I know what the bastard that did it to him looks like, and they were saying something about pushing, dragging and falling."

Feliks stiffened, and Lovino looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"I know which memory you're referring to," Feliks said. "Like, it just slipped?"

"Si."

Feliks sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"That was one of Vlad's worst," Feliks said. "It was right after he… he became a vampire. But the demon wasn't satisfied. He wanted to drag Vlad down further, until he was a demon. Like, demons can turn other magical beings into demons, or at least make them twisted enough that they're considered enough like demons. Vlad holds the record of holding out against the demons the longest."

"What's going to happen if Vlad becomes a demon?" Lovino asked.

"Like, it's _not_ going to be pretty. Vlad has a special gift, one that can like only be used if he gives it to someone. And, like, the demons totally want to use it to start a second war against Heaven."

Lovino nodded his head, and Feliks sighed.

"Like, memories in the mind can be changed," Feliks said. "Like, they can be altered. Memories in blood, however, like _can't_."

"What are you saying?" Lovino asked.

Feliks smirked.

"Like, Vlad can use his blood to transfer memories too," Feliks said, standing up and leaving the Italian alone.

Lovino blinked, recalling that Vlad _had_ said something like that. He understood that Feliks recommended that Lovino ask for Vlad's blood.

But why? Why was the phoenix interested in it?

…

Vlad sighed in relief when he saw Feliks's house, and he looked down to see that Gupta's eyes had widened in surprise, not expecting such a large estate.

Vlad landed carefully, letting the Egyptian down, who in turn let his dog down. Vlad led the way, opening the door and stepping inside.

He heard footsteps rushing to greet him, but to his surprise it wasn't Feliks, but instead Lovino.

"Who's that?" Lovino asked, seeing Gupta.

"He's one of you," Vlad said. "His mother asked me to bring him."

Lovino eyed the Egyptian as he passed, who didn't spare him a glance, and when he was gone he turned his attention to Vlad.

"I want to see your memories," Lovino said. "I want to know who or what you were. And it's only fair, since you saw things that I didn't want anyone to know about, without permission, might I add. It's only fair."

Vlad looked at Lovino for a moment before he sighed, nodding his head.

"Fine," he said, lifting his hands. "It's only fair."

"Wait," Lovino said. "I want you to transfer the memories through blood. That way, I know the memories you're giving me aren't fake."

"Did Feliks tell you that?" Vlad asked, lowering his hands. When Lovino nodded, he sighed. "I can't give you my blood."

"Bastard, why not? It's only fair."

"I can't give it to you _tonight_ , at least. Your body still needs to expel vampire venom. If I give you my blood now, it will turn you into a vampire."

Lovino swallowed nervously.

"Then when?" Lovino asked.

"Two or three days," Vlad said. "By then, it should have been expelled from your body."

'And it would give _me_ time to prepare for it.'


	10. Chapter 9

**Thanks to Zaaze, NekoRyuuKo, Adorable Reader, Skye Phoenix Dove and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 9**

Lovino awoke after yet another round of nightmares. He burst into tears. How long would it haunt him?

When he managed to calm himself enough he climbed out of the bed and went out of the room, entering the one next to it.

Vlad briefly looked up when he saw Lovino enter and he sighed, taking a book and standing up from the armchair. Lovino felt a little guilty as Vlad went to lie down on the bed, and Lovino went to lie down next to him.

"Sleep tight," Vlad said, wrapping an arm around Lovino.

Lovino smiled briefly before he drifted off to sleep.

…

Matthew hummed while he was making breakfast, Feliks nearby, watching him.

"Like, I can never do anything in the kitchen without burning my food," Feliks said. "Not that I don't like burnt food, but if someone comes to visit, like, they don't like my food because it's burnt."

"I can teach you, if you want," Matthew offered.

"Nah. Then it, like, would be _expected_ of me to cook. Like, who among you can cook?"

"Feliciano and I. Lovino too, but… Well, I think it's been a while."

"Like, what do you mean?"

"Well, Lovino's been held captive by vampires," Matthew explained. "I guess that's why he's being more distant than he used to be. He doesn't really talk to us, and he doesn't want to talk about it."

"Oh. Like, oops," Feliks said. "I hope Vlad didn't…"

"What?" Matthew asked, looking at Feliks with panic.

"Like, he was going to ask Vlad about his past, and I like suggested that Vlad's blood can be used to show his memories, and…"

"What?"

"Like, when a vampire bites a human, they inject venom into their bloodstream. The venom is expelled after a few days, but… Like, see, the venom is used to turn humans into vampires. Like, all it takes is for the human to ingest vampire blood."

Matthew's eyes widened, and Feliks left the kitchen, and Matthew had to tend to the pancakes before they burned.

…

Feliks burst into Vlad's room, and the vampire glared at the phoenix. Feliks noticed as Lovino lay beside Vlad, but he had more important things to focus on.

"Like, did you give him some of your blood last night?" Feliks asked.

"Nu," Vlad said. "I was the one that saved him. I _know_ that his body isn't ready for it."

Feliks sighed in relief, slumping against the doorframe. There was silence for about a minute, before Feliks decided to break it.

"Like, you know you _could_ turn him," Feliks said. "Like, he wouldn't be like the others. He'd be like you."

"No," Vlad said. "I _won't_ let that fate befall him. It could… No."

"Like, you need this," Feliks said. "You and I both know what he is…"

"And that's why I won't condemn him to my existence," Vlad said. "Feliks, please don't bring this up again."

"Fine," Feliks said, turning around.

"Wait," Vlad said, and Feliks paused. "What kind of angel is he?"

Feliks turned back and smiled.

"Life," Feliks said, and Vlad's eyes widened at the revelation.

Feliks left the vampire alone to ponder the revelation.

…

Everyone, sans Vlad, was at the breakfast table, looking with disgusted expressions as Alfred shovelled the food down his throat. Jason and Matthew looked absolutely ashamed of their brother.

"So," Gupta said, turning pointedly away from Alfred and looking at Feliks, "what is there to do around here?"

"Like, Vlad would need to teach you how to manage your angel powers," Feliks said. "But he'd, like, need to see you all one by one."

"No way," Alfred said, his mouth stuffed with food. "I'm _not_ going to be left alone, or leave anyone alone, with that vampire."

"Al, don't talk with your mouth full," Matthew sighed.

"When are you going to fucking learn to get along with him?" Lovino asked.

"Like, he's an angel of war," Feliks said. "His kind and Vlad never got along. There's an old rivalry that's been ingrained since before the Fall, but after the Fall it got like totally worse."

"Fall?" Matthew asked.

Feliks's eyes widened, and immediately afterwards they heard Vlad shout 'FELIKS!'. Feliks chuckled nervously.

"Like, looks like Vlad's calling me," Feliks said, moving towards the door. "Bye!"

And Feliks ran, leaving the confused humans behind.

…

Feliks burst into the study where Vlad had been reading, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Vlad glared at him with annoyance.

"How much do you think you almost gave away?" Vlad asked.

"Like, sorry. It totally slipped. Like, it won't happen again."

Vlad continued to glare at him, before he turned back to his book. Feliks sighed.

"Like, what are you reading?" he asked.

"Nephilim Journals," Vlad said. "I need to take a little refresher course in dealing with Nephilim. Particularly those that are angels of war."

"Yeah, that one's going to give you some problems," Feliks said. "Like, is there anyone you would like to begin with?"

"Whoever trusts me enough to volunteer first."

Feliks sighed. He knew that the lack of trust really hurt Vlad. It made him angry at Alfred for the way he was treating his friend. But what made him even angrier was the fact that Vlad accepted it, as though it was something unavoidable. Something to be expected.

"Like, when are you going to tell them?" Feliks asked.

Vlad sighed, running a hand along his face.

"I'll tell Lovino in a few days," Vlad said. "He wants to know more about my past. And then… we'll see."

Feliks sighed, before he turned to leave.

"Like, I hate seeing you like this," Feliks said.

"It's not as though you really see me any other way," Vlad said.

"Like, I know. That's what I hate."

…

Back in the living room, the humans were trying to piece together what Feliks had said.

"So, what's this fall?" Alfred asked.

"There's only one thing I can think of," Marcello said. "It's part of Christian mythology. It's when Lucifer gathered a bunch of angels to rebel against God. And when they lost, they were cast out of heaven. That's usually what's referred to as the Fall."

Lovino remained silent. Something about that seemed familiar, but he couldn't piece together what exactly. It annoyed him slightly.

"Perhaps we should focus on something else?" Gupta suggested. "Such as the fact that we would need individual training?"

"Look, there's no way I'm trusting that thing," Alfred said.

"That 'thing' is named Vlad," Lovino said. "And I'm getting sick of you insulting him the whole time. He has done _nothing_ to earn that from you."

"Why are you so hung up on him? Do you have a crush on him or something?"

"Like hell!" Lovino said, his face a little pink. "In case you fucking forgot, he saved my life. I'm _grateful_ to him. And he's been keeping my nightmares away."

"He's probably just waiting until we all trust him to turn us into his mindless army."

"Ve," Feliciano interrupted, "he promised that he wouldn't hurt us."

Alfred rolled his eyes, before he turned his gaze to Feliciano.

"Feli, are you going to trust a _vampire_ because he _promised_?" Alfred asked condescendingly.

Feliciano frowned, before he stood. He pulled up his shirt, showing a silver 'x' on his chest.

"Ve, he said that he's not going to hurt us," Feliciano said. "And if he breaks his promise, it'll turn black and I can kill him by saying so."

Alfred looked intrigued, and Feliciano pulled down his shirt.

"Whatever," Lovino scoffed. "I for one trust Vlad completely, so I'm going to go for my training. See you bastards later."

After Lovino left, the others were left in silence.

"Has anyone noticed that he never calls Vlad a 'bastard'?" Alfred asked.

"Well, Vlad _did_ save him," Matthew said. "So I guess it's a subconscious thing."

"If it turns out to be some sort of vampire mind control…"

Everyone merely sighed.

…

While Lovino was on his way to Vlad's location, he ran into Feliks, who looked a little downtrodden. The phoenix smiled when he saw him, and Lovino frowned, something bothering him.

"Like, should have known that you'd totally be the first," Feliks said. "You _are_ going to see Vlad about learning how to be an angel, right?"

"Si," Lovino said, a little annoyed.

"Do you trust him?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?"

"Vlad's suffered a lot in the last few thousand years. Like, the fact that the people who he's supposed to be helping don't trust him really hurts him. So, like, do you trust him?"

Lovino was silent as he pondered what exactly the phoenix was asking. And hadn't he _just_ told his brothers and friends that he trusted Vlad? It had been so easy to say that to people that didn't like Vlad and didn't trust him. But Feliks was his friend. He knew more about Vlad than he did.

"Si," Lovino said. "I trust him."

Feliks smiled, and started to walk away.

"Let him know that," Feliks said. "I'm sure it would give him a reason to smile. Like, I haven't seen a genuine smile from him in so long."

Lovino frowned as Feliks continued to walk away. The Italian sighed, before deciding to continue on his own way.

He found Vlad in a study, reading through a book. Vlad looked up when he entered and he smirked.

"I had a feeling that you would be the first to arrive," Vlad said. "So, shall we begin?"

"What's that you're reading?" Lovino asked.

"A journal I kept from the last time I trained Nephilim. I'm just refreshing my memory."

Lovino frowned, something else bothering him.

"Why did the angels consider our kind a threat?" Lovino asked. "And it can't just be because we have angel powers."

Vlad sighed, looking pained. Lovino waited patiently.

"It was because of the unpredictability," Vlad said. "You see, a mature Nephilim doesn't necessarily become an angel. They could also become a demon."

Lovino's eyes widened, and he took a step back. Vlad looked at him with concern.

"I can't let you teach me," Lovino said, and Vlad's eyes widened. "You know what happened to me. You know that I'm not worthy of being an angel. I… I'll…"

He shook his head and turned to leave, but before he knew it, Vlad had caught up to him, hugging him close. Once again, Lovino could feel the vampire's heartbeat, something that shouldn't be possible at all.

"Listen to me," Vlad said. "You are _not_ becoming a demon. You _are_ worthy of being an angel."

Lovino struggled, and Vlad only hugged him tighter.

"Whether you become an angel or a demon is entirely up to you," Vlad said. "Nothing that anyone else has done to you has an influence, understand? In fact, I think that because of that you'd become one of the stronger angels. _Nothing_ is telling me that you're not fit to become an angel, understand?"

Lovino turned a little so that he was chest-to-chest with Vlad and held unto him. As the vampire was speaking, Lovino started to cry, and as Vlad spoke the last words Lovino sobbed.

Vlad started to rub soothing circles on Lovino's back, trying to think of something to say that would calm him down.

"Feliks told me what kind of angel you would become," Vlad said. "If there was no chance for you, then Feliks wouldn't have been able to see that. He would have told me that you have more potential to be a demon than an angel. Do you want to know what kind of angel you are?"

Lovino shook his head, and Vlad sighed.

"Well, let me give you a few hints," Vlad said. "This is probably the rarest, most special kind of angel. The type of angel that most other angels want to be friends with. An angel so pure, that there has been no success in turning this type of angel into a demon. Only one has ever fallen, and that fall didn't happen on his own. He was pushed and dragged, but he still resisted becoming a demon."

Lovino sniffled.

"Are you a fallen angel?" Lovino asked.

"Why do you ask _that_?" Vlad asked.

"Because that would explain why you know so much."

There was silence for a moment.

"No," Vlad said. "Fallen angels can still go out in sunlight, and they don't need to ask permission to go into someone's home. And their blood is bronze, not silver."

"Have you ever met one?"

"A few, actually. And each one of them was either depressed or violent. You see, when an angel falls, they're filled with either a great sorrow or a great anger, depending on how or why they fell. Sometimes they can be more dangerous than demons, since their reactions are pretty unpredictable. They're also especially dangerous to Nephilim. There are a few that are harmless, but the majority you should look out for."

Lovino nodded.

"How do you recognise a fallen angel?" Lovino asked.

"It takes a lot of practice. But you'll be able to recognise them eventually. Now, are you feeling better?"

Lovino nodded, and Vlad loosened his hold as Lovino stepped back. Vlad had a small smile on his face, and Lovino remembered what Feliks told him about Vlad not smiling genuinely for a long time. And Lovino could see that this was a smile meant to make _him_ happy, but that didn't reflect Vlad's own happiness.

"Now, let's begin," Vlad said. "The first thing we want to do is summon your wings. Once you have your wings, the rest should come easier."

"And how do I do _that_?" Lovino asked.

"First, we should start by thinking of a happy memory."

"Dammit, I don't _have_ happy memories!"

"Of course you do. Think back to when I brought you back to your brothers, and you finally returned home after your imprisonment. I know happiness when I see it, and you were definitely happy."

Lovino blushed, but his face remained in a scowl.

He knew that Vlad was right. He had been happy when he was reunited with his brothers. He felt happy when they hugged him. He felt happy when he saw how much they missed him.

He focused on that happiness, and Vlad smiled.

"Now, focus on that happiness, and pretend it's a bird, curling up its wings. Then imagine that bird spreading its wings and flying away."

Lovino did as told, but he still could not feel his wings. He clenched his fist in frustration.

"Okay, let's try something else," Vlad said. "Don't worry. Some techniques don't work for some people. It's natural." Vlad sighed. "Sorry about this. But think about those three vampires."

Lovino couldn't help it. It came unbidden.

"Think about what they did to you," Vlad said. "Focus on your fear."

No problem there.

"Now, I want you to imagine you're flying away, and you don't want them to catch you."

It wasn't hard.

Lovino felt his back itch, but he was more focused on his fear. Vlad smiled.

"Look," Vlad said.

Lovino looked over his shoulder, and he gasped when he saw a powerful wing. Looking over the other shoulder showed him the same thing. They weren't white, or black, or even grey. Instead, they were cream-coloured. Lovino reached out to touch one, stroking the feathers. His wing shrank back slightly at the contact, and he could actually _feel_ the wing.

He turned back to Vlad as the other clapped his hands.

"Well done," Vlad said. "And you thought that you didn't have it in you to become an angel."

"But the wings aren't white," Lovino said. "They may look it, but…"

"No Nephilim's wings are white. In fact, most angels didn't have white wings when they were born. As you continue to grow, the wings will gradually become pure white. This colour also shows that you have more potential to be an angel than a demon. If you were closer to becoming a demon, then these feathers would have been grey."

Lovino looked to one of the wings again, and his heart fluttered when he realised that Vlad was right. He _was_ an angel in the making.

"It sucks that I have to think of _them_ to get my wings," Lovino thought.

"It's because you're still full of fear, sorrow and anger," Vlad said. "The trick of these wings is to summon the emotions you feel the most of, and instead of letting them overwhelm you, you need to make them your own to bend to your will. That is the trick of most of this, actually."

"Do I _always_ need to rely on those emotions?"

"No. You may use them to practice. But in the heat of battle and you need to take to the sky, then instinct will do it for you."

"Great. So, when am I flying?"

Vlad chuckled.

"I'm afraid you need to master summoning them first," Vlad said. "Letting them come at will, and disappear at will. I once trained someone who went flying before she was ready. About three kilometres in the sky her wings disappeared. If I hadn't gone looking for her, then she would have died."

"I… I see. So, I need to wait a while?"

"Da. Focus on summoning them and making them disappear at will."

"And… how do I get them to disappear?"

"Just think about the wings sliding back into your body. You've seen me do it, right?"

Lovino nodded, and he focused on what he had seen Vlad do. He felt a loss of pressure that he didn't even know he had, and his balance was also thrown off a little. He looked over his shoulder, and was a little sad to see that the wings were gone.

"I think that's enough for today," Vlad said. "We don't want to put too much strain on your body. It's used to being human. Give it time to adapt."

Lovino nodded, and he turned to leave, before he thought of a question. He turned back to Vlad.

"What do you feel when you're summoning your wings?" Lovino asked.

Vlad looked thoughtful.

"I mostly operate on instinct," Vlad said. "But in general it was fear. But lately it's changed. Now, it's happiness."

 **If Alfred seems like a jerk, he's just worried about the others. He'll get better. Eventually.**

 **And Feliks wasn't so worried about Vlad accidentally turning Lovino into a vampire, but more about what the effect on** _ **Vlad**_ **would be. Which was why he was first panicked, then trying to convince Vlad to go through with it.**

 **Also, Game of Mirrors has been nominated for the Hetalia Awards. If you liked it, then please go vote for it.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Thanks to Mehloveshorror, Zaaze, ThisIsTheEarth, Amethystfairy1, ScandinavianTrash, NekoRyuuKo, Adorable Reader and Under Celestial Stars for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 10**

Lovino walked back downstairs with a perplexed frown on his face. He didn't understand Vlad's last statement. After thousands of years of fear, why was it suddenly happiness that summoned his wings? What had changed?

Well, the only thing he could think of was meeting them and having to train them. But most of the others didn't even trust him yet. It couldn't be that.

Lovino was brought out of his thoughts when he felt fire erupting along his shoulder blades. It wasn't pain, but… Actually it was worse than pain.

It was an itch.

A brutal itch that stretched across his entire upper back, focusing especially on the shoulder blades. He gasped as he fell against the wall, and he started to brush his upper back against it, hoping that it would cause enough friction to scratch his back.

No, it didn't work. He needed something else.

He stumbled down the stairs, reaching one of the doorways. He opened the door and started scratching his back against the doorframe. He sighed when he couldn't feel the discomfort anymore, and started to go down again.

Only for it to come back with a vengeance.

He instinctively reached back to scratch, but it wouldn't quite reach his entire back. And it was getting worse and worse.

"FUCK!" he shouted.

…

When the others heard Lovino shout they grew worried. And suspicious.

"What's that thing doing to him _now_?" Alfred asked.

Feliks sighed.

"Vlad's not a…"

Before he could finish, the others had already ran out of the room. Feliks rolled his eyes before he followed after them.

They found Lovino on the first floor landing, acting bizarre. He was trying to reach his back, to no avail.

"What's wrong?" Feliciano asked.

"My fucking back…" Lovino muttered.

Feliks sighed, before walking over towards Lovino. His fingernails elongated, becoming talons, which he used to scratch Lovino's back.

Lovino sighed in relief as he seemed to melt into the phoenix's attention. But soon it stopped, and he was cursing again.

"Bring them out," Feliks said. "It's totally the best cure for the itch."

"Bring what out?" Marcello asked.

The group was startled as Marcello's question was answered. They stared at Lovino's wings, and the latter sighed in relief.

"Like, yeah," Feliks said. "Like, it'll happen the first dozen or so times. You need to let the wings in and out, otherwise it'll totally itch up a storm."

"Would have been nice if Vlad told me about it," Lovino said.

"Like, Vlad tends to forget that one."

The others stared in awe at the wings. Whenever they tried to touch them, they would shrink away, almost as though they didn't want to be touched.

"So, this is what Vlad was teaching you?" Matthew asked.

"Si," Lovino said.

"Dude," Alfred said, "it's kind of… cool."

"Ve, can you fly?" Feliciano asked.

"Preferably not," Feliks said. "Like, unless Vlad shows you how to fly, it's best not to try. Like, bad things happen if you try to fly before you're ready."

"Like what?" Alfred asked.

"Like, ever heard of Icarus?"

"Um, no?"

Feliks sighed.

"Like, somehow, that totally doesn't surprise me," Feliks said. "Like, he flew too close to the sun and got burned. Like, how's _that_ for a summary?"

"Vlad warned me too," Lovino said. "I still need to get used to this. If any of you bastards need me, I'll be outside."

Lovino retracted his wings and walked off, but he didn't manage more than ten steps when he cursed again and was forced to let those wings out.

The others stared after him.

"I want wings," Alfred said. "It'll be so cool! I can fly like a superhero!"

"You do know that you need to trust Vlad to teach you, right?" Jason asked.

Alfred's face twisted, and the others chuckled at the conflicted expression.

All except for Feliks, who looked upstairs. He had a feeling that he needed to check on Vlad. So he started ascending the stairs.

…

Vlad was perusing the journal again when he heard Feliks approaching. He sighed, looking up as the phoenix entered the room.

"Like, how did it go?" Feliks asked.

"You already saw the results," Vlad said. "I could hear everything."

"Like, not what I meant," Feliks said, leaning against the wall. "Like, which emotion did you use?"

Vlad sighed.

"Fear," Vlad said. "I tried happiness first, but his body doesn't want to cooperate with that. I told him to think of those vampires and what they did to him."

"Like, are those old vampires or like the newer ones?" Feliks asked.

"Old ones. The Bad Touch Trio."

Feliks's eyes widened, and his mouth formed an 'o'.

"Like, if you want, I can totally find them and incinerate them."

Vlad simply shook his head, looking towards where a window would be.

"He's outside," Vlad said. "Ever since his escape, he hasn't had much chance to simply bask in the sunlight. That's where he _should_ be."

"Like, so should _you_ ," Feliks said. "Like, you know as well as I that…"

Vlad raised his hand, his eyes narrowed. He could hear footsteps, slightly hesitant but confident. They were coming towards them.

Feliks must have noticed this too, for he poked his head out of the door.

"Like, hi Matt," Feliks said. "What are you doing here?"

A moment later Matthew came into view, looking towards Vlad with a nervous expression.

"Um," Matthew said, "could I… maybe… like Lovino?"

Vlad smiled.

"Sure," Vlad said. "We also need to work on your invisibility problem."

"Like, I'll be outside if you need me," Feliks said, before he walked away.

"Alright then," Vlad said, standing up. "You can come closer. I'm not going to bite."

Matthew bit his lip before he did as told.

"Alright," Vlad said. "To summon wings, you need to use your emotions. Any emotion that's dominant in you at the moment. I prefer to teach you guys to use happiness, but things don't always go the way we want them to."

"W-which emotion did Lovino use?" Matthew asked. "Do you know?"

Vlad sighed.

"Da. I do. It was fear. He's still afraid of the vampires that captured him."

"He doesn't want to talk about it. Do you know anything about it? Anything that _we_ should know?"

"That is for Lovino to decide. And he didn't tell me. I was curious and, well… Anyway, do you think you can muster a happy memory? Something that makes you want to burst from happiness?"

Matthew looked down, before he shook his head. Vlad sighed.

"I kind of figured you'd be the more passive type," Vlad said. "Feliks said you're a guardian angel. Fine then. We'll go that way. A technique that guardian angels can use is to think about those that they want to protect. Anyone fit that description?"

Matthew nodded.

"My friends and family," he said.

"Alright then. Just imagine you have wings that you're holding as a shield around your loved ones. Shouldn't be too hard, if you've seen birds do it before."

Matthew focused for a moment, and Vlad let out a delighted clap of his hands when the other revealed his wings.

"Excellent," Vlad said. "Not so hard, is it?"

"You're right," Matthew said. "You know, I thought that this would be difficult. You're a great teacher."

Vlad shook his head.

"Nu," he said. "You've had the potential all along. You just didn't know it yet. Now, I think that's it for now. You need to focus on bringing them out at whim, and especially when necessary. Practice often."

"And don't try to fly," Matthew said. "Feliks already gave that warning. And I think there was something you forgot to mention."

Vlad looked confused, and Matthew laughed.

"You forgot to mention that they're going to itch," Matthew said.

"I always forget that one," Vlad said. "Probably because I…"

Vlad shook his head, and Matthew cocked his head.

"Hey, Vlad?" Matthew said. "If you don't mind my asking… What exactly did that demon do to you to make you become a vampire?"

Vlad sighed.

"He tricked me, and that set off a chain reaction that caused me to become _this_."

"Were… were you human before? I'm sorry, it's just… with all these supernatural things going on… I thought…"

"It's okay," Vlad said. "No, I wasn't human. But you wouldn't believe me if I told you what I used to be. But it's in the past now. I can never go back. It's been made clear to me by pretty much everyone that I know."

Matthew bit his lip.

"Why exactly are you helping us?" Matthew asked. "I mean… what do you get out of this whole thing?"

Vlad smiled.

"Let's just say, I've always had a soft spot for Nephilim," Vlad said. "That, and I was promised something I've been missing."

"And that is?"

Vlad looked behind him, towards the wall, and sighed.

"The chance to walk around in the sunshine again."

…

The rest of the humans were back in the living room. It was quiet among them. But the quiet would be broken by either Alfred or Feliciano.

Turned out to be Alfred.

"So," Alfred said, "are we going to do that? With the wings?"

Jason sighed.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Matt already went," Jason said.

"Why does Mattie and Lovi trust that guy?" Alfred asked.

"Because he hasn't given us reason _not_ to," Marcello pointed out.

"He's a _vampire_."

"One that protected us against _other_ vampires," Jason said.

"Ve, they're right," Feliciano added.

Alfred scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"I bet it's all part of his master plan," Alfred said. "He's keeping us all for himself. And I bet that when we're full-fledged angels he's going to have a buffet."

"There's just one flaw in that logic."

They jumped and turned to see two blonde women, one with green eyes, and one with blue. The one that had spoken had a British accent.

Alfred swallowed nervously.

"And what's that flaw?" he asked.

"Angel blood tastes _disgusting_ to vampires," the blue-eyed blonde said. "Nephilim blood is delicious up to a _point_ , after which it becomes horrible to them. Kind of like Alice's cooking."

The green-eyed blonde, apparently Alice, looked angry.

"Hey, my cooking isn't _horrible_ ," she shouted.

"The last time I saw your scones, they were black on the outside, raw on the inside, and I'm pretty sure some of them were _moving_ ," the other one said, keeping her face blank while her voice took on a teasing edge.

"I _thought_ I heard familiar voices," Feliks said as he entered the room, sounding amused. "Alice, Nora, what are you two doing here?"

The two turned to Feliks.

"Hello Feliks," Alice greeted. "We're here to see Vlad, actually. But then we heard this _git_ insulting him."

Alfred sputtered in outrage while Feliks rolled his eyes.

"Like, yeah, he totally does that," Feliks said. "Like, Vlad's on the third floor. Like, you know? The floor without windows?"

"Thank you," 'Nora' said, before the two of them disappeared.

"Who were those bellas?" Feliciano asked.

"Like, they're old friends of Vlad's," Feliks said. "The two of them are angels, but, like, they're probably Vlad's closest friends. Like, they would totally maim you if you trash talk Vlad."

"What kind of angels are they?" Marcello asked.

"Like, they're angels of life. A very rare type of angel. Like, each of the angels of life has a power. Alice has the touch of life while Nora has the breath of life. Actually, now that I think about it, there have only ever been like three, actually four now. One is a Nephilim."

"Why are they rare?" Gupta asked.

"Like, it's because they can totally heal anything. And I mean _anything_. The only thing they haven't been able to heal so far is vampirism, but that's because the original vampire was totally designed to be immune to their healing powers. And, like, they could even save someone that's almost dead. Even dead a few minutes can be healed. But, like, _everyone_ wants their power, especially demons, and…"

"FELIKS!" Vlad's voice shouted, along with the two women's.

"Okay, like _fine_ ," Feliks huffed. "Totally steal my thunder."

"What don't they want you to tell us?" Hans asked.

Feliks looked towards the ceiling, biting his lip. Eventually he turned to them.

"Alright, like, you remember when I said that the fallen angel that has held out the longest was an angel of life?" Feliks asked. "Like, the third one."

"We remember," Alfred said.

"Well, like, the reason he fell was because there were demons that wanted him on their side. His power was the blood of life, and it's like totally more powerful than the other two because the blood stays in your system longer, and can heal any wound days after you get the blood in your body. Like, the demons have been wanting him since the demons were still angels, and they like haven't stopped going after him."

"You said that one of them is a Nephilim," Feliciano said. "Ve, who is it?"

Feliks ran a hand through his hair.

"Lovino," Feliks said, before he walked away.

It was silent for a moment as everyone pondered something.

"I have a question," Jason said, looking towards the ceiling. "I can understand how Vlad could hear us. But… how did the other two?"

…

Nora was sitting on the desk while Alice was leaning against the wall. Vlad looked between the two angels, a small smile on his face.

"I still don't see why that bloody wanker gets to insult you," Alice said. "How can you stand it?"

"I understand that he doesn't trust me yet," Vlad said. "And according to Feliks, he's an angel of war."

"Figures," Nora said, rolling her eyes.

"Not that I'm not happy to see the two of you again," Vlad said, "but why exactly are you here? Last time, it wasn't a social call."

"Unfortunately, you're right," Alice said. "We've managed to locate three Nephilim for you. Three siblings. There's only one problem."

"The eldest brother goes out every night hunting for vampires," Nora said. "He's actually pretty good."

"And which vampires are in the area?" Vlad asked.

"The Nordic Five," Nora said.

Vlad sighed, running a hand across his face.

"I'm going to have to ask Feliks to help me then," Vlad said. "In convincing, possibly fighting, and flying them out of there."

"We're sorry that all this is on your shoulders," Alice said.

"It's fine," Vlad said, waving her off. "It's the first time in how many thousand years that heaven decided I'm _useful_ again."

"Vlad…" Nora said sadly.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Alice said. "I _hate_ that bloody bastard."

…

Lovino was outside, basking in the sun's rays. He had missed it. The feeling of the warm sun on his skin… He needed a tan. Never before in his life had he been so pale.

When he felt them itching again he let the wings out, and after a while he retracted them again. It had become a bit of a routine now. It was getting a little boring, but the more he had to do it, the easier it became, and the less Lovino had to focus on his fear, allowing his instinct to guide him.

He was lying on his stomach so as to make things easier for him. He was calmly resting his head on his arms, but when he heard footsteps approaching he looked up.

Matthew smiled at him, before there was a flash of annoyance on the blond's face. Lovino was confused, at least until he saw Matthew pulling out his own set of wings.

"So, I take it that _you_ at least trust Vlad?" Lovino said, relaxing again.

"Oui," Matthew said, sitting next to him.

"Please do me a favour," Lovino said. "Don't speak French."

Matthew frowned a little, before remembering that one of Lovino's kidnappers had been French.

"Sorry," Matthew said. "How are you holding up?"

Lovino shrugged, before letting his wings out again.

Lovino was far more patient with Matthew than he was with other people. Matthew had always been calm around him, and the calm aura had extended to Lovino as well.

"Hey, Lovino?" Matthew said. "Do you think that… Vlad might be a fallen angel?"

"I already asked him," Lovino said. "He says that fallen angels can walk in daylight and have bronze blood."

"Oh. I was just curious."

"It would make sense, since he knows so much about anything related to angels."

"He wasn't human before he became like this," Matthew said.

"Si, I know. And he has a brother."

"What?"

"There's a portrait of him and his brother in my room. And it turns out that the bastard was friends with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo."

"Wait, as in…"

"Si! Two of the greatest Italian figures in history. They were our _idols._ And Feliks told me that Vlad was even a _muse_ to them." Lovino chuckled. "Vlad has an interesting life, and then there's me."

"Lovino, your life _is_ interesting," Matthew said. " _You're_ interesting. Nothing like me. Finding out I'm part angel is probably the only interesting thing that's ever happened in my life."

Lovino shook his head.

"I wonder what it would be like to live for _thousands_ of years," Lovino said.

"I think it must be lonely," Matthew said.

…

Alice and Nora were laughing hysterically, and Vlad _tried_ to keep a neutral expression on his face, but one could still see a smirk.

Alfred blushed, glaring at the three without much success.

"Come on," Alfred said. "All I said is that I want you to show me how to get those wings."

"That's what's so funny," Alice said. " _You're_ the one asking."

Alfred looked away.

"Look, I just want to know how to fly," Alfred said. "So shut up and teach me already!"

"Oh, he's _definitely_ an angel of war," Nora said. "So demanding."

Vlad chuckled.

"Alright," Vlad said. "But you're going to have to listen to everything I have to tell you, alright?"

 **There was no way I'm not adding my favourite trio. Seriously, I have like three oneshots about the magic trio, and Game of Mirrors features the magic trio, along with a few other stories I'm working on, namely Return of the Magic Trio, Return of Transylvania, Continental Dragons, Enough, Bloody Vengeance and Mansion of Darkness. And I seriously need to work on these stories.**

 **Also, an interesting piece of trivia: in Afrikaans, the shoulder blade is called the 'vlerkie', the diminutive form of 'vlerk', which is the word for 'wing'.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks to fishstick1999, ScandinavianTrash, Lovesbugsalot, NekoRyuuKo, Mehloveshorror and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 11**

By the end of the day, everyone had gone to see Vlad in order to get their wings. Of course, everyone was still laughing at Alfred, who swore that he was going to kill that vampire.

As it turned out, Alfred didn't handle rules all that well.

He had wings, but he couldn't fly yet, and he had decided to forgo the whole letting-them-in-and-out exercise in favour of keeping them out the entire time. That had proven to be a mistake, since they started to feel heavy.

And as it would later turn out, Alfred had a rash on his back from leaving the wings out for so long.

So Alfred was sulking while everyone else laughed at his expense.

Of course, when they saw Feliks and Vlad going out the front door, they were immediately suspicious, and ran after them.

"Hold on!" Alfred shouted. "Where are you guys going?"

"We've received info on other Nephilim," Vlad said. "We're going after them."

"How many are there?" Matthew asked.

"Three. We'll let you know if we're not back by sunrise."

"Like, whatever you do, stay inside," Feliks said. "And like, remember stranger danger."

"Da," Vlad said. "There are a few creatures that know where Feliks lives, and not all of them are going to be friendly."

And with the final warning, Vlad and Feliks both summoned their wings, red and black, and they took to the air with a powerful flap.

The eight Nephilim stared in astonishment.

"So," Jason said, "how long before you think _we_ can do that?"

…

It was an hour before the vampire and the phoenix reached their destination, and by that time Vlad was annoyed by Feliks's constant talking.

So when they landed, Vlad was sure that he had never been more relieved.

"Like, so where should we start?" Feliks asked.

"They told me that the eldest brother is a vampire hunter," Vlad said. "He should be our priority."

"Like, are you sure? I mean…"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, alright."

"Like, I think we should have brought one of the others, like, just in case."

"In order to convince them, right? It's not safe. They've only learned how to summon their wings. They can't use them yet."

"Like, they don't _need_ to fly. They just need to show them."

"You remember the Nordic Five, right Feliks?"

The phoenix shuddered, and Vlad took the opportunity to sniff the air. He turned to his right.

"This way," Vlad said. "I smell Nephilim blood."

"Like, I wonder what it smells like," Feliks said. "Like Vlad, could you describe smell for me?"

Vlad rolled his eyes.

"It's like tasting, only with your nose," Vlad said impatiently. "Now come on. The Nordics are on the prowl."

The two went in silence, Vlad allowing his nose to lead the way, and whenever it would seem as though Feliks would start speaking Vlad clamped a hand over his mouth. Eventually the phoenix got the message, but he was pouting the whole way.

Soon they heard the sound of combat, and they exchanged a glance before they picked up speed.

It wasn't long before they saw a tall blond man, several stakes strapped to his belt, surrounded by vampires. But the man was holding his own, proving that he knew how to take on the vampires as one by one they dissolved into dust.

Vlad could smell that the man was a Nephilim, while Feliks could see it.

"Like, are you sure you want to do this?" Feliks asked.

"I have to," Vlad said. "Besides, it's not going to kill me."

"Maybe, but it's still totally gonna hurt like a bitch."

Vlad waited until the man had only one more vampire to deal with before he started to approach him. But the man had seen Vlad coming, and once he had dealt with the other vampire he spun around in order to give Vlad the same fate.

Vlad easily caught his wrist, and he spun the man's arm until his arm was pinned against his back. The man struggled, but Vlad was still stronger.

Through the touch, Vlad learned that the man was called Lars van Riet. He had a younger brother and sister – Henri and Bella – and he was twenty years old.

"Calm down," Vlad said. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in no position to reach your neck or wrist. I'm not going to feed from you."

"Like, he's right," Feliks said, moving until he was standing in front of Lars. "Like, he totally doesn't need to eat, oh, and I'm like totally not a vampire. We're here to talk."

Lars stopped his struggling, and he glared down at Feliks, who yelped before moving behind Vlad. Vlad rolled his eyes.

"We _need_ to get you some help regarding your fear of strangers," Vlad said.

Lars snorted.

"He'll hang out with a vampire, but _strangers_ scare him?" Lars asked.

"Feliks is just being Feliks," Vlad said. "And I'm Vlad." Lars snorted. "Yes, I know it's a cliché name. Not _my_ fault that Dracula and I have the same first names. Now, I'm going to let go of your arm, and we're going to _talk_. Understand?"

Lars didn't say anything, but Vlad could tell that his mind was racing. He could also tell that the other was thinking of stabbing the stake through his heart the moment his arm was released.

"Do you know how curses work?" Vlad asked. "They're forms of punishment, regardless whether or not you've committed a crime or anything. Part of my curse is that I can't die, even with all the different ways to kill a vampire. And cut me some slack. I was staked just a few nights ago. I don't want a repeat until at least another week, thank you very much."

When Vlad sensed that Lars took his words into consideration he released the other's wrist. Lars immediately spun around, but made no move to attack.

"Alright," he said. "You wanted to talk, so _talk_."

"If possible, can we go someplace more private?" Vlad asked. "It doesn't have to be your home – I know that you won't trust me yet. But this is something that could prove detrimental to you and your siblings if vampires heard it, especially certain vampires."

Lars scrutinised him for a moment.

"How do I know that you're not going to kill me?" Lars asked.

Feliks burst out into laughter, and Vlad turned his head a little in order to throw a glare Feliks's way.

"Like, _Vlad_?" Feliks scoffed. " _Killing_ something? Like, he totally can't kill a fly."

"Thank you for making me sound weak and pathetic, Feliks," Vlad said sarcastically.

What annoyed him the most was Lars's amusement, but at least the hostility was fading.

"Fine," Lars said. "Follow me."

He led the two of them to an abandoned house, and the vampire and the phoenix easily went inside.

"So," Lars said, "why can't you kill something?"

"It's in the category of being cursed," Vlad sighed. "If you think vampires are bad, then you haven't seen the thing that I'm running from."

Lars threw him a look as they went inside the house.

"You said you wanted to talk," Lars said. "Now's your chance."

"Alright," Vlad said. "First, you need to know that there are _other_ creatures besides vampires. Feliks here is a phoenix."

"Aren't they supposed to be birds?" Lars asked.

"Like, glamour," Feliks said. "We can change our appearance to blend in."

"One of your parents – I'm inclined to say your mother – was one such creature," Vlad continued. "She was an angel."

"And, like, that makes you a Nephilim."

Lars looked between the two immortal creatures.

"This has to be a joke, right?" Lars asked.

"Nu," Vlad sighed. "Tell me, have the vampires ever mentioned how your blood smells extra appetising?"

Lars took a step back.

"Ja, they did," Lars said.

"Like, that's because the angelic quality of the blood is alluring," Feliks said. "Considering how the first vampire was sired…"

"Feliks!" Vlad hissed.

"Nee, tell me how the first vampire was sired," Lars said.

"Like, he was poisoned by a demon and given angel blood," Feliks said, looking at Vlad apologetically.

"And why do you feel the need to tell me about my heritage?" Lars asked.

"Because believe it or not, I've made a few friends among angels," Vlad said. "And they want me to train people like you. Your kind is apparently the best bet against the vampires."

"I don't need training," Lars said. "I can handle myself just fine."

"Da, against _weak_ vampires. The ones you've just killed… those are all fledglings. _Babies_ , basically. Against some of the stronger vampires, you'll only be an interesting meal."

"Like, the major vampires around here are the Nordic Five," Feliks said. "Like, have you heard of them?"

"Should I?" Lars asked.

"Da," Vlad said. "They're particularly ruthless and bloodthirsty. To give you perspective: when they were alive, they were all Vikings."

Lars's eyes widened.

"Then why haven't I encountered them yet?" Lars asked.

"Probably because they haven't been hungry yet," Vlad said. "But I can sense them. They're hunting right now."

"Then I will keep a lookout for them," Lars said, turning away. "Anything else?"

"Da," Vlad said. "You need to come with us so that I can train you."

Lars turned back to him with a sharp glare on his face.

"I am not going anywhere with you," Lars said. "And neither are my siblings. So stay away."

Lars walked away, and Feliks sighed.

"Like, _that_ went well," Feliks said.

"We need to find a way to convince him that it would be better to come with us," Vlad said. "You know as well as I what might happen if he were to run into unsavoury characters." Vlad turned to look Feliks in the eye. "You go see if you can negotiate with his siblings. I'll make sure that he doesn't do something stupid. How he managed to live for this long is a miracle."

After telling him the address, Vlad and Feliks parted ways, with Feliks trying to find his way through the streets and towards the house, while Vlad stalked the tall Dutchman.

…

The five vampires had fanned out, but it was Lukas that detected the scent first. In his more than one thousand years of existence, he had _never_ smelled anything so… exquisite.

He smirked. He decided not to inform the others of the scent. He would simply get the thrill of that meal for himself.

Of course, knowing them (especially Mathias), they would find out about Lukas's prey soon enough. So the Norwegian would have to act fast.

Then again, once he _found_ his target, he could simply take them to an isolated location and _play_ a little. After all, blood tasted better if it's pulsing from fear and hopelessness.

…

Lars couldn't help but think about what that vampire and 'phoenix' had to say. He had always felt that there was something abnormal about him and his siblings, as well as his mom, but…

Angels?

He scoffed. That was impossible. He wasn't some heavenly creature. His siblings perhaps, but not him.

But something told him that what the vampire was saying was true. And the vampire didn't seem hostile, nor did he look as though he was trying to trick him. He just looked… tired, and perhaps a little on edge.

Lars was shaken from his thoughts when he sensed another vampire approaching. This one felt different. Stronger. It was then that Lars realised that he hadn't actually _felt_ Vlad's approach, and if he hadn't seen him, then Lars wouldn't have known that he was there.

Vlad purposely let him see him.

But this vampire wasn't Vlad. It was something that wanted to kill him, but not before breaking him and lapping up the blood.

Lars spun around and thrust his stake at the vampire, who easily caught his wrist, just like Vlad had done.

"Amazing instincts," the vampire said, his face blank. "But it won't help you against _me_."

Lars reached for another stake and tried to stab it, but the vampire caught his other wrist just as easily. The vampire smirked, before Lars's hands froze, surrounded by ice. The vampire released the wrists and reached out to the stakes, breaking them.

Lars's eyes widened and the vampire smirked, moving away.

"Now, to get you in a secure location where my brothers won't smell you…" the vampire said.

"Sorry," a familiar voice interrupted, "but I can't let you do that."

The vampire spun around, and Lars's eyes widened when he saw Vlad standing there, a small smirk on his face.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" the unidentified vampire asked.

"Da," Vlad said. "Your name is Lukas Bondevik. You're one of the members of the Nordic Five. Specifically, you're from Norway. You were also called 'King of the Fjords'. You were sired by Mathias Kohler, and you sired Emil Steilson."

Lukas narrowed his eyes.

"You know quite a bit about me," the Norwegian said. "But I can't say the same. You're probably a child."

Vlad scoffed.

"Please," he said. "I'm _older_ than you. I'm even older than your sire's sire."

"Oh really?" Lukas asked. "Then what is your name?"

"I'd rather not say," Vlad said. "I have a bit of a reputation, but not among vampires."

"Among what then? Werewolves, elves…?"

"Demons."

"Let me guess. You managed to get on their bad sides."

"A few."

Lukas smirked.

"As interesting as this is, I have a meal to finish," Lukas said. "If you ask nicely, I _might_ give you a sip."

"Thanks, but I'm not interested in drinking his blood," Vlad said.

"Then you have no reason to interfere."

"Actually, I do. See, I have something I need him for, and there aren't any replacements."

Lukas stared at him.

"We seem to have a conflict of interests," Lukas said, forming an ice spear. "But this human is _mine_."

Vlad smirked.

"Aw, ice magic," Vlad said, summoning a fireball. "How cute."

Lukas's eyes widened as Vlad launched the fireball at him. He managed to step away and threw the spear at Vlad, who dodged as well.

"This is going to be interesting," Lukas said.

…

Bella looked up when she heard a knock on the door. She and Henri exchanged a glance, before she hesitantly moved closer.

She looked through the peephole to see a young person with chin-length blond hair, who looked to be about her height. She couldn't quite tell if it was a man or a woman though. The other smiled through the peephole.

"Like, could I come in?" the other asked, revealing himself to be a man. "Like, I promise I'm not a vampire. Like, I totally just want to talk."

Henri had moved up behind her, and the two siblings exchanged a look.

"How do we know you're _not_ a vampire?" Henri asked.

"Like, open the door, but don't _invite_ me in," the stranger said. "Like, vampires totally can't come in a person's home without like a formal invitation."

The two siblings shared another glance. It was true.

So Bella opened the door, and the stranger smiled before walking inside.

"See?" he said. "Like, not a vampire."

"Fine," Bella said. "But who are you?"

"Like, my name is Feliks," the stranger said. "And, like, I have something totally important to tell you two. Like, first of all, you're only half human. Like, one of your parents was an angel."

…

"So bored," Alfred said.

"Hamburger Bastard, if you say that one more time, I'm going to _kill_ you," Lovino said.

"Alfred, Lovino's right," Matthew said. "It's starting to get annoying."

"But there's nothing to _do_ ," Alfred whined.

"You _could_ try picking up a book," Gupta said, turning a page of the book that he was reading. "There are quite a few here."

Alfred made a face, and Matthew sighed.

"Hasn't this guy ever heard of _TV_?" Alfred asked.

"Considering the fact he's been living for thousands of years, I'm sure the thought never occurred to him," Lovino said. "I'm actually surprised that he has electricity."

"Look, the dude could at least make sure that his guests are happy," Alfred said.

"Something tells me that Feliks doesn't get too many guests," Matthew said.

"And no wonder," Alfred said.

"Bastard," Lovino warned, "in case you forgot, Vlad and the Bird Bastard saved us from being hunted. Unless you want those four to find their way in your house and slaughter you all. Or worse."

"What could the vampires do that's worse?" Jason asked. "I mean, didn't they say that people like us can't be turned?"

"There are things worse than death," Lovino said. "Things that even _humans_ can do. Believe me."

There was silence for a moment.

"Lovi," Alfred said. "What _exactly_ did those vampires do to you? Other than feeding?"

Lovino hugged himself, and instead of answering, he stomped out of the room, going upstairs towards his room. The others stared after him, worry and confusion on their faces.

"What do you think happened?" Alfred asked.

"Something that he doesn't want to share," Gupta said. "Give him time. If he wants to, he'll tell you eventually."

Jason cleared his throat.

"Am I the only one that noticed that Lovino called Feliks a variation of 'bastard', like he does for pretty much everyone, while he called Vlad by his name?" Jason asked.

"Didn't Vlad save him?" Gupta asked.

"Si!" Feliciano said, smiling.

"It's basic psychology. He feels grateful to Vlad, so he has more respect for him than he would have for us, for example."

Before anyone else could say anything, they heard someone knocking on the front door. They froze, turning to the door.

No one was supposed to know where they were. And Vlad and Feliks wouldn't knock. And neither did angels, as they had learned. And didn't they say that other creatures knew where Feliks lived? And that some of them weren't friendly?

"Feliks," a female voice said, before knocking again. "Open up the door. Feliks!"

 **So, can anyone guess who the woman at the door is?**


	13. Chapter 12

**Thanks to Zaaze, TrefleV, GuestIGuess, Time Turner, fishstick1999, Adorable Reader, Lovesbugsalot, Mehloveshorror, ScandinavianTrash, Eternal Nexus Warrior, Under Celestial Stars and KathAmbrosius67 for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 12**

Lars stared in surprise as the two vampires fought. Lukas was a little warier of Vlad's magic than the latter was of the former's. And it was understandable, since vampires didn't like fire. It was one of the methods that could kill them.

But Lukas kept hurling ice spears at Vlad, and the other was forced to dodge those as well. Lars understood that the spears were meant to replace stakes.

Lars hadn't felt this useless in _months_. Not since his father was killed, and his mother pretty much abandoned them. He wanted to fight, but he wasn't sure who to fight first.

Though his instincts told him that he could trust Vlad.

He looked down towards his frozen hands. There was only a thin layer of ice now, but they were still completely numb, and he couldn't even use them. He tried.

He looked up, and he saw Vlad looking towards him, right before an ice spear grazed his side, causing the vampire to grunt in pain. Lars couldn't understand why the Romanian was distracted, until he felt a hand wrap around his throat from behind.

"Well now," a voice whispered. "Don't _you_ smell delectable…"

"Hands off, Mathias," Lukas said. "He's _mine_."

"Aw, but he smells so nice. And you wouldn't deny your sire, now would you Norge?"

Lukas growled, and Vlad turned to Lars, a snarl on his face.

"Who's this anyway?" Mathias asked, tightening his grip when Lars tried to struggle.

"Don't know," Lukas said. "Though he claims to be older than _your_ sire."

"Really now?"

Vlad looked between the two vampires, though he looked like he was trying to calculate something whenever he looked towards Lars's direction. He snapped his fingers, and Mathias yelped before he released Lars. The Dutchman turned around to see that the back of Mathias's coat had been set aflame, and the vampire was trying to extinguish said flame.

Vlad used the opportunity to move towards Lars, and Lukas tried to stop him, only for Vlad to cast another fireball towards him. He grabbed onto Lars.

"Hold on," Vlad said, before turning to the vampires with a smirk. "Catch me if you can."

And to everyone's surprise, a pair of black wings burst out of Vlad's back, and before anyone could react he grabbed Lars and launched himself into the air.

Lars stared at the vampire in surprise. He knew that vampires with wings were stronger, but these wings were different from what he had read about.

"How are you…?" Lars asked.

"Long story," Vlad said. "Neither of the other two can fly. I'm just making sure I'm out of their sight before I take you to your house."

"How do you know where I live?"

Vlad rolled his eyes.

"How do you think I knew to find you in _this_ town?" Vlad countered.

"Fine. I still don't trust you. I just get the feeling that you won't kill me."

"If you know that I won't kill you, then what other reason could you have for not trusting me?"

"You could still drink my blood. And the blood of my siblings."

Vlad rolled his eyes.

"I only drink human blood when I'm siring them, and I haven't done that since the 1400s," Vlad said. "And most of the vampires I've sired are either dead or sealed somewhere. There's only one you should be worried about."

"And where are they?"

"I have no idea. I haven't had contact with him for over a thousand years."

The two said nothing as Vlad landed, and Lars immediately made his way towards the front door, entering and locking the vampire out. He just wanted to forget about Vlad.

But it proved to be a little difficult when he saw Feliks in his living room, talking to his younger brother and sister.

"What's going on?" Lars asked.

"Oh, you're back early," Bella said "This is Feliks. He told us that Mom was an angel, and that we're part angel."

"If she was an angel, then she wouldn't have abandoned us."

"Like, angels can't stay in this world for long after the whole vampire outbreak thing," Feliks said. "Like, the air is too toxic. And like she wouldn't have been able to take you to Heaven, since Nephilim like can't go there unless they've been properly trained. And like, there aren't a lot of people that know how to do that."

"But _you_ do?" Lars asked, eyes narrowed.

"Like, not me. Vlad."

Lars glared at the window, and he was surprised he didn't see the vampire outside.

"Who's Vlad?" Henri asked.

"A vampire that claims to be different," Lars said. "What kind of vampire doesn't drink from humans?"

"Like, Vlad," Feliks said.

Lars glared at the smaller man, noting that he didn't seem so shy anymore.

"Get out," Lars said. "We're not interested in anything you have to say."

Bella and Henri protested, but Feliks merely examined his nails.

"Did you hear me?" Lars demanded.

"Like, I heard you," Feliks said. "But, like, it's totally in your best interests to come with us. Like, if you go on the way you are, then you're totally going to die. And they might die too."

"Out," Lars warned.

"Feliks, time to withdraw," a voice said from outside, and Lars felt annoyed by the fact that Vlad had been listening.

Feliks sighed, but stood nonetheless. Lars watched as he went to the front door, and he felt his annoyance grow when the other turned back to wave towards his brother and sister.

And then there were only humans in the house.

…

The humans stared at the front door in fear. They each anticipated some sort of creature that would end up being even worse than vampires.

And they were well aware of the fact that they would be even more delicious for those creatures.

"Feliks, could you open the door already?" the female voice demanded. "Though I don't know why it's locked. You never lock it, especially not to me, Raj or Vlad."

The humans looked at each other in surprise.

"She knows Vlad and Raj?" Feliciano asked.

"She could be lying," Alfred said.

"I don't think so," Matthew said. "She doesn't seem to know that we're here. She's more focused on trying to get _Feliks_ to open."

"Maybe if we pretend nobody's here, she'll get the message?" Jason suggested.

"I don't think that's going to work," Hans said. "The light's on."

"Dude, turn it off," Alfred said.

"Al, that's just going to confirm that someone's here," Matthew said. "I'll… I'll go talk to her."

"Mattie, no," Alfred hissed.

Matthew ignored his brother and walked over to the front door. He opened it, revealing the woman on the other side. She blinked in surprise when she saw him.

"Um, you're not Feliks," she said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Matthew," he said. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Not really. I was hoping to see Feliks. Is he here?"

"No, he's not. He went with Vlad somewhere."

"Oh, you're a friend of Vlad's as well. But when did he make new friends? I thought he was sleeping."

"He was. He woke up a few days ago."

"Oh, okay. But… how are you… Sorry if this seems rude, but… what are you?"

"Can't you smell me?"

"Non. I'm a mermaid, and on land, our sense of smell is even weaker than a human's."

"O-oh. Um, I'm a…"

"Mattie, don't!"

Both the mermaid and Matthew jumped in surprise as Alfred ran up to his brother, throwing an arm around him and glaring at the mermaid suspiciously. She blinked in surprise, looking between the two brothers.

"The odds of you being my prey is smaller than the odds of me being yours," the mermaid said. "I mean no harm."

Matthew sighed.

"We're Nephilim," he said.

"Oh, then neither of us are each other's prey," she said. "That's a relief."

She giggled when she saw the brothers' looks of confusion.

"Nephilim aren't predators, which means I'm not your prey," she explained. "And Nephilim fall in the domain of land and sky, which puts you out of a mermaid's hunting ground. We don't consider you prey."

"Sharks eat humans," Alfred said.

"Humans fall under the category of shoreline and water travellers. They're our prey. However, Nephilim don't really go near water."

"And what about a phoenix?" Matthew asked.

"Phoenixes don't really need to eat all that much," she said. "Fire is all they need to stay alive. Unless it's a blue-flame phoenix, they don't do well in cold. All phoenixes avoid water, so once again, the predator-prey relationship doesn't exist in any form between a phoenix and a mermaid."

"And… what was Raj again?" Alfred asked.

"Naga. They prefer deserts or tropical jungles. They don't go to the shoreline all that often. The predator-prey relationship doesn't exist there either. It's why the four of us make such great friends."

"Um, are there any predators for vampires?" Alfred asked.

"Non," she said. "Vampires are corpses that have new life breathed into them from demons. They don't really fall under anyone's prey. They do have rivals, like werewolves."

"Great," Alfred groaned.

"Um, could you please let me in now? I promise I won't hurt you."

The two brothers exchanged a look, and after a moment of staring they turned back to the mermaid.

"I guess," Alfred said. "But… you better not be trying anything."

"D'accord," she said. "My name is Michelle, by the way."

The two nodded, and they led Michelle to where everyone else, with the exception of Lovino, was sitting.

"Guys, this is Michelle," Alfred said. "She's a mermaid."

"I seem to recall Feliks saying something about 'stranger danger'," Gupta said.

"Oui, that sounds like something Feliks would say," Michelle said.

"So, what exactly brings you here, bella?" Marcello asked.

Michelle giggled.

"I wanted to see Feliks," she said. "He's an old friend, and he's the only one of my friends who's easily located that isn't one of my kind. And it's boring being with the same people over and over. So I came here."

"How, exactly?" Jason asked. "I mean… I don't think we're close to the sea or anything."

Michelle simply smiled.

"That's my little secret," she said. "So, how much do you know about the supernatural world?"

"Not that much," Matthew admitted.

"Alright. Then in Feliks and Vlad's absence, I'll tell you what you need to know."

…

Lovino was lying in his room, simply staring at the ceiling. There wasn't a light switched on, and he found the darkness so familiar.

Uncomfortably so, but comfortably as well.

Uncomfortably, because it reminded him of his time in captivity. Where he was trapped in the world of darkness. But comfortably because he didn't feel comfortable in the world of light anymore. He knew that he didn't belong. Not anymore.

As they seemed to be doing a lot recently, his thoughts drifted to Vlad. The other had lived for millennia without the sun, and he showed clear signs of missing it. Vlad was a creature of darkness who yearned for the light.

And Lovino was supposed to be a creature of light, yet he felt unwelcome.

He closed his eyes, thinking about Alfred's question. They wanted to know what he had gone through, and it was understandable. But he didn't _want_ them to know. They would treat him like some sort of disease, like…

Like how Alfred treated Vlad.

It wasn't fair. Why did those things have to happen to him? Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Why couldn't they have killed him?

Why did…?

He sobbed, and that was when he realised that the tears were falling. He curled up into a ball, his body shaking with his sorrow. They had violated him, in every sense of the word. The Bad Touch Trio, a group of vampires that enjoyed sexually abusing their victims.

He was tainted. He would forever feel their hands on his skin, their tongues, their teeth… He could feel…

And he didn't want his brothers or their friends to know. He had just been reunited with them. He couldn't lose them again.

Suddenly the dark room felt overwhelming, but it wasn't the darkness that was crushing him. It was the loneliness. The same loneliness that he had felt in his cell, when they weren't feeding from him or…

He pushed himself to his feet, and with an almost desperation stumbled out of his room and to the one next door.

He tried not to feel disappointed when he didn't see Vlad. Of course he wouldn't be back yet. But he needed something to ground himself.

So he lay down on the bed. He tried not to smile when he discovered that Vlad's scent still lingered. It was a surprisingly sweet and floral scent. He breathed deeply of the comforting scent as he started to drift off.

…

"Like, _now_ what do we do?" Feliks asked.

Vlad sighed. The two of them were on the roof of an abandoned house a few houses away. Close enough to watch them, but far enough to prevent other vampires from knowing which house they were watching.

Since Vlad was focusing on that particular house, he could hear the conversations coming from inside. And he knew the siblings were arguing.

"We wait," Vlad said. "Their interest has been piqued, and they would want to know more. Not only that, but now they've learned the truth of their existence, and the angel side would want to learn more."

Feliks pouted.

"Like, this is going to totally take forever," Feliks said. "Like, isn't there a way to speed up the process?"

"Get Lars to trust us," Vlad said. "It's the only thing I can think of."

"And what'll it take to do _that_?" Feliks asked.

Vlad sighed again.

"A lot."

…

"How could you have let him inside the house?" Lars demanded.

"He proved he wasn't a vampire," Henri said.

"Broer, you should have heard all the things he said…" Bella said.

"Nee," Lars said. "His companion is a vampire. And not just any vampire. A very old, very powerful vampire, possibly a vampire lord."

"And how would you know that?"

"He had _wings_ , Bella. Not a lot of vampires have wings. It's a mark of status, and clearly he's not afraid to flaunt it."

"What do you think they intend to do with us?" Henri asked. "Feliks said they plan to train us to use our angel side."

"The thing vampires usually do," Lars said. "Just without killing us. My intuition is telling me that much."

"And what else does your 'intuition' tell you?" Bella demanded.

"I… I don't know, alright," Lars said. "My intuition is telling me to trust him, but… he's a vampire. A soulless, heartless creature. The same type of creature that sent the world to hell. The same type of creature that killed Vader. Do you _really_ think that I can _trust_ something like that?"

At the mention of their father, both Bella and Henri looked away. Yes, it would be difficult after seeing a vampire kill their father, right after their mother abandoned them.

"It's almost midnight," Lars said. "And you two have school in the morning."

The other two nodded, before they each went to their respective rooms. Lars stayed behind, trying to wrap his head around the whole situation.

What bothered him the most was the fact that Vlad had actually defended him against that other vampire, at the risk of admitting that he didn't feed to another vampire. By all standards, a vampire that didn't feed, at least not on human blood, was usually considered to be weak and pitiful.

But Vlad could use magic. Vlad had wings. And Vlad had admitted to siring seven vampires, and that most of them were either dead or sealed. The fact that they would rather seal a vampire than kill it was disturbing. It meant that they were too powerful to kill.

Lars decided to check to see if the vampire and 'phoenix' were still around. He went outside, grabbing a stake, just in case.

He couldn't see anyone in the surrounding area, at least not on the ground, but then he looked up towards the roofs. A few houses away, he could see two shapes that weren't normal, and when he saw red and green, he knew that it was them.

He narrowed his eyes. He could tell that they were waiting for him, or perhaps for one of his siblings. But they didn't move closer, and in fact were too far away to appear as though they were stalking the house.

Somehow, Lars understood this gesture. This was to avoid alerting other vampires about him and his siblings. It was… kind of nice.

He shook his head, before retreating inside the house again, making sure to lock the door.

…

Feliks deflated.

"Like, _now_ what should we do?" he asked.

"We'll find an abandoned house," Vlad said. "Find a mirror and through it, we'll tell the others that we won't be coming back tonight. You'll go speak to them tomorrow."

Feliks nodded his head, and the two immediately set to work.

…

Lukas growled, glaring at the Dane.

"He was _my_ prey," Lukas said. "You had _no right_ to interfere."

"It doesn't matter," Mathias said. "They're gone now. Though I wish I knew who that bastard was."

"Come on," Lukas said. "He wouldn't have taken him far. He seemed too intent on _protecting_ the human than feeding from him."

"You'd think someone like that would have been easier to deal with."

"Shut up," Lukas said. He sniffed the air. "I seem to have lost the human's scent. But I have the feeling that he's still in this town."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I used my magic on him to freeze his hands," Lukas said. "And according to the magic trace, they haven't left the town."

"Should we get the others?"

"Ja. That other vampire… Something about him just isn't right. He's the one we have to deal with."

 **And the mystery woman turned out to be Seychelles.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Thanks to Zaaze, Time Turner, Atzuyi, ScandinavianTrash, Under Celestial Stars and Mehloveshorror for reviewing.**

 **And just in case there's confusion, I update once a week with a few chapters in backlog. The reason I do this is because I have a tendency to change things, especially in the first few chapters. I've starter rewriting my Canmania after four chapters, I've lost count on how many times I've restarted the CanadaXWorld, and many other stories. They're usually safe after ten chapters, which is why I wait until then to start posting. So, weekly updates with prewritten chapters. Otherwise, who knows how long you'd be waiting for a chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 13**

Lovino gasped when he opened his eyes again. It was as though he was forbidden from having a single night's sleep without being haunted by memories of what happened in the three months the vampires had him in their clutches. He wondered if he would _ever_ be able to move past it.

His first instinct was to seek out Vlad, but after a moment he realised that he was in Vlad's room, and Vlad wasn't there.

He didn't realise how much he depended on Vlad to be able to go to sleep, but now the thought of sleeping without Vlad's help seemed impossible.

He sat up in the bed, trying to summon the wings, using the fear provoked by the dream. When he felt the familiar weight on his back he sighed, trying to wrap them around his body.

With his wings wrapped around him, he lay back and went to sleep, hoping that this time he could sleep peacefully.

…

Lukas and Mathias were standing in front of the house where Lukas could sense his magic's trace, along with Emil, Berwald and Tino.

"Is this the place?" Mathias asked.

"Ja," Lukas said. "I can sense him."

"Were you really not going to share?" Tino asked. "I mean, if his blood smells that delicious, then shouldn't we _all_ get a piece of it?"

"Let's not focus on the human," Lukas said, looking around. "I'm more concerned about that other vampire. He was holding back, and I want to know _why_."

"That can't be the only reason," Emil said.

"You're right," Mathias said. "We really want that other vampire that was with the human. He sure as hell wasn't recently sired. He claims to be older than me, in fact. And he _humiliated_ us."

"He was also rude," Lukas said. "He didn't even introduce himself. And he was pretty powerful. If _we_ could have that power…"

"Oh, so we're going to kill him to get his strength?" Tino asked. "Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Ja," Berwald said. "So, where is he?"

"He should be around here," Lukas said, looking around again. "You don't just abandon a human once you become interested in him. Especially if there are other vampires interested in the same human."

"So, he'll come," Mathias said. "In fact, he _could_ be around here somewhere."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Emil asked. "Let's look for him."

"He might be in one of these abandoned houses," Lukas said. "This would be a good place to start."

"And once we find him," Mathias said, "we kill him."

…

Feliks had fallen asleep, but Vlad was still wide awake, listening to everything around him. He had heard the vampires clearly, and also what they intended to do.

He was angry with himself for forgetting about the magic trace, but it couldn't be helped. The damage was done.

Besides, the vampires seemed more obsessed with finding and killing him than with Lars and his family. That was good. The Nephilim weren't in danger.

Yet.

And as for the threat towards him…

"Good luck with that," Vlad muttered.

He knew full well that there was no way for the vampires to kill him. He had tried. For nine thousand years, he had tried. But there were only a handful of beings that could kill him.

And all of them enjoyed his pain too much to want to relieve him of his misery.

Vlad glanced towards Feliks, knowing that the phoenix would be able to handle himself if the vampires arrived. In fact, the vampires would get a nasty surprise if they tried to harm the firebird.

Vlad stood from his spot, moving towards the door. He needed to put some distance between him and the vampires. He couldn't fight to kill, and there were no angels of death nearby to take the pressure off of him. And he would still need to put distance between him and Feliks if the other became a wildfire, killing anything in his path. It was also risky, not because he could be hurt, but because his presence might alert something.

Vlad cautiously left the house, making his way to the roof. He noticed that none of the vampires thought to look up. It might buy him some time.

He summoned his wings, before taking flight. Some time alone in the air might do him good.

He could still see what was happening beneath him, but none of them would notice him. They wouldn't look for him in the sky.

As he hovered, he sensed a presence behind him, and he turned to see an old, familiar face.

"Heracles," Vlad greeted. He saw the state of the other's wings. "What happened?"

Heracles sighed, before he looked towards his black wings.

"I was dragged," Heracles explained.

Vlad nodded. While other creatures only saw fallen angels, they could be divided into three groups: fallen, dragged or pushed. Fallen angels were the ones that fell because of their own choices. Dragged angels were usually because of demons that pulled them down. And pushed angels were betrayed by fellow angels.

"Who?" Vlad asked.

"Natalya," Heracles said.

Vlad felt a chill go down his spine. Oh yes, he knew Natalya well. She was the sister of the demon that had ruined his life. And she had done something similar to Heracles.

"I heard you're taking care of Nephilim again," Heracles said.

"Da," Vlad said.

"Do you think it's possible for me to just look? I… I want to find him or her. My heartwing. My hope. I heard it's still possible for us to find them."

"Da, it is."

Heracles stared at him for a moment before he gave a small smile.

"I'm glad," Heracles said.

"We have something we need to deal with," Vlad said. "Afterwards… I hope you realise that there's a chance that they're not around."

Heracles swallowed nervously.

"I realise," Heracles said. "But you can understand why I would want to see for myself."

"Da, I do."

Heracles nodded.

"Could you perhaps tell me where they are, so that I can see for myself?" Heracles asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. There's a chance you'll lose control if you don't find what you're looking for. If you'll wait for me to finish, I'll be able to take you. But I can't leave them in your presence without supervision."

Heracles bowed his head.

"I understand," Heracles said. "I've been very angry lately. It's not like me. Do you get angry so often?"

"It's normal," Vlad said. "You feel cheated, and that the rest of the universe needs to repent for what happened to you. And when you don't feel angry, you feel sad. Sad that something like this could happen."

"Exactly. I… I'm sorry about the way I acted all those years ago. I… I understand now."

Vlad smiled softly, before looking towards the east.

"The sun will rise in an hour," Vlad said. "I need to go back to my shelter."

"I don't know how you do it," Heracles said. "I think it would drive me insane, existing only in the darkness of night, never being able to enjoy light again."

Vlad smiled sadly.

"Da, it's torture," he said. "But it will hopefully end soon. The price I demanded from the angels for this task is for that part of the curse to be lifted."

"Then I hope you succeed. I will see you soon, Vlad."

"Da. I'll see you soon."

…

Emil had entered one of the abandoned houses, only to step back immediately. He smelt fire, brimstone and smoke.

He gagged, his instincts alerting him to leave, but he was curious. He couldn't _hear_ the sound of anything burning, so what caused it?

He swallowed, before stepping into the house again. He searched around, before spotting a figure lying in the corner on old pillows, fast asleep.

The Icelandic vampire knew that it wasn't a human. He had been around long enough to know that vampires and humans weren't the only creatures with above-average intelligence. And while none of the creatures fed on vampires, there were still those that were dangerous.

He would say that this one was.

A part of him was curious about what this creature was, but another part of him told him to get far away as soon as possible. A creature of flame wouldn't be good for him. He had met a lava creature when he was still living in Iceland. It was an experience he didn't want to repeat.

He noticed that the creature, which resembled a young man, didn't wake up, in spite of breathing. That was strange. He should have woken up as soon as he smelled Emil.

Deciding that he wouldn't test his luck, he turned to leave again, before he caught another scent. It smelled like a vampire, but instead of being a dead scent, it was _alive_.

He froze. That should be impossible, but if it was the vampire that Lukas and Mathias was after…

Well, his curiosity was officially piqued.

He tensed when he sensed time running short. He had about an hour before the sun rose, and he would prefer not to be around that fire creature.

So Emil left, knowing that he would need to alert the other four.

…

Vlad sighed when he touched down, walking into the house he and Feliks had claimed. He froze, however, when he smelled another vampire's scent.

It was faint, which meant that the vampire was no longer there. But their shelter had still received an intruder.

He looked towards Feliks, who was still asleep, and judging by the lack of scorch marks, there had been no fight. So the vampire had been there and must have smelled Feliks's scent, which spelled danger for vampires.

Any minor vampire wouldn't have figured out the danger, but someone like the Nordics would have. And the Nordics were the biggest threats at the moment.

He needed to keep them away from Lars and his siblings.

Luckily, they wouldn't be able to do anything during the day, so Feliks could simply try to convince them before the sun set again. And Vlad knew how important it was now.

 _He_ was the Nordics' target, and they knew that he was interested in Lars. So they would use the Dutchman – and possibly his siblings – to get to Vlad.

They needed to get out of there before they had the chance.

…

Michelle wandered around Feliks's home, mindful of the Nephilim sleeping in some of the rooms. She knew that Vlad had a soft spot for them, but why would he be teaching them again, especially if he only woke up a few days ago?

She knew about the vampire threat, but she didn't really think much about them. They were outside her domain, and she herself wasn't considered food to them.

But Vlad wouldn't immediately go for the Nephilim, so why…?

And it was clear that they didn't know much about the supernatural world. She had told them a decent amount, but had to keep repeating the basics. It was exhausting.

She would have to wait for Feliks and Vlad to come back in order to ask what was going on.

…

Feliks yawned and stretched when he woke up. The sun had risen a few hours ago, and he was fully rested and ready for the day.

When he spotted Vlad, however, he had to cock his head to the side.

"Like, what's wrong?" Feliks asked.

"One of the Nordics was here last night," Vlad said. "He at least knew not to wake you. I went out for a while."

"Like, to do what?"

"Just gain some distance. They're looking for me, and if you and the Nephilim come in the crossfire…"

"Like, why would they even go after you? You're not prey to them."

Vlad sighed.

"Feliks, there's something you need to know about vampires," Vlad said. "They can get stronger by defeating and killing another vampire who is just as strong, or even stronger, than them."

"And they totally classified you as that."

"Da. So now, they want to defeat me to claim my power."

"Like, good luck with _that_."

Vlad chuckled.

"The problem is, I fear they might use the Nephilim against me."

"You're totally worried about them, and not yourself."

"Da. Feliks, I need you to try to convince them again. Before nightfall, please."

"Like, I'll see what I can do. But the older brother is totally a killjoy."

"He has his reasons."

"Like, I still don't like him."

"I know, Feliks. I know…"

They were silent for a few moments.

"Vlad?" Feliks prompted. "Like, why are you even doing this? Like, since when do you want to make angels happy?"

Vlad sighed.

"I was offered the promise to be able to walk in the sun again," Vlad said. "Well, the original offer was that I'm 'forgiven', but…"

"You're totally not the one at fault," Feliks finished. "But, like, why sunlight?"

"Think of it this way: how would you feel if you could no longer fly? That a world to which you used to belong is completely inaccessible to you? I was a creature of light and life. Now I'm condemned to this world of darkness and death."

Feliks looked down.

"Like, I understand," Feliks said. He stood. "Like, I'll go see if I can talk to them."

Vlad nodded, and Feliks left.

Feliks only had to walk about three houses before he arrived at the house of the Nephilim. He took a deep breath, before knocking.

He waited for a while, before the door opened. To Feliks's annoyance, the one that opened the door was none other than Lars.

"We're not interested," Lars said.

"Like, you mean _you're_ not interested," Feliks said. "Where are Bella and Henri?"

"It's none of your business," Lars said.

Feliks narrowed his eyes.

"Like, you need to come with us," Feliks said. "You're safe with us. Like, you've got five vampires interested in you."

"Then I'll fight them off," Lars said.

"Like, these aren't the newbies you're used to. These are _Vikings_. They were brutal when they were alive, and they're even worse as vampires."

Lars began to close the door, and Feliks tried one more thing.

"If you don't want to protect yourself, then do it for your siblings."

Lars paused, before he glared down at Feliks.

"We were fine before you came along, and we'll be fine without you," Lars said, before he closed the door in Feliks's face.

The phoenix sighed, before he summoned his wings and took to the sky. He figured that Henri and Bella were still in high school. So he would just need to find them there.

And what better way than a bird's eye view?

…

Lovino was sitting at the breakfast table, dark rings around his eyes. He couldn't sleep at all, his nightmares unrelenting.

"Whoa," Alfred said as he entered the kitchen. "What's up with you?"

Lovino's only response was to shoot the middle finger, and Alfred rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming you'll want coffee," Alfred said. "I'll make it as strong as possible."

"Great," Lovino said. "You can finally make yourself useful."

Alfred just chuckled.

"You know, I missed it," Alfred said. "Your grumpy attitude, your sarcasm…"

"The tiny amount of sleep I've got isn't enough for this shit," Lovino said. "So shut up."

"So, why _didn't_ you get enough sleep?"

"If you can't figure it out, then it's not worth explaining."

Alfred shrugged, continuing with the coffee.

Just then, a girl that Lovino had never seen before entered. Lovino stared at her, before turning to Alfred.

"Who's she?" he asked.

"Bonjour," she said, and Lovino tensed. "I'm Michelle. I'm an old friend of Vlad's. I didn't see you last night."

"Michelle's a mermaid," Alfred said. "Dude, you missed a lot. She told us a lot of things about the supernatural world."

Alfred placed the cup of coffee in front of Lovino, who gulped it down. Both Michelle and Alfred stared at him in surprise.

"I'm out of here," Lovino said, and he made a hasty retreat, just as Matthew entered the kitchen.

Matthew stared at Lovino, before turning to Alfred.

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"Don't know," Alfred said.

"I wonder if it's me," Michelle said, looking worried.

Matthew's eyes widened, and he suddenly understood.

"It's the French," Matthew said. "One of the vampires that kidnapped Lovino was French. He asked me not to speak it."

"He was kidnapped by vampires?" Michelle asked, cocking her head. "Which vampires, exactly?"

"Don't know what they call themselves," Alfred said. "One's French, another's Spanish and the other is a German albino."

"The Bad Touch Trio?!" she asked, horrified.

"You know them?" Alfred asked.

"O-oui. They… they have a way of traumatising their victims."

"How?" Matthew asked.

"I don't think it's my place to say," Michelle said. "Just know that he has probably suffered at the hands of three of the cruellest vampires in the world."

The two brothers exchanged a glance, before their gazes shifted towards where Lovino had disappeared.

…

Vlad was sitting in the living room of the abandoned house they were residing in, glaring at the window. The curtains had been removed, and the sun was streaming in.

Vlad stuck out his hand, but quickly retracted it when the sunlight burned him.

He hoped the angels kept their end of the bargain. He couldn't wait to feel the sun again without it burning him. He wanted to feel the warmth comforting him, and not threatening to destroy him.

His thoughts wandered to the Nephilim, and in particular Lovino. Did the other manage to sleep without him to chase away his nightmares? Were they all safe?

Vlad shook his head. It wouldn't help to dwell on those thoughts at the present time. They currently had three Nephilim to convince and five powerful and ruthless vampires to keep away. If the Nephilim in Feliks's house were in danger, then someone else would try to protect them.

For now, Vlad had other things to focus on.

 **There are two Dutch exchange students in my French class, and one of them brought drops (salmiakki) yesterday for the Netherlands's liberty day (well, she was speaking French when she explained. I think that's what it's called). Asides from biltong, South Africans generally have more of a sweet tooth. She brought a bag for the lecturer and another for the rest of us, and our lecturer apologised for not liking it. Many of the others apologised as well. I got the other bag, since there are a few of my relatives that like it (we occasionally have it in South Africa, but it's rare). And earlier the week we had a discussion about niknaks and how it's one of the things South Africans miss the most while abroad.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Thanks to TheClockworkStarling, Zaaze, Under Celestial Stars, Adorable Reader, ScandinavianTrash and Mehloveshorror for reviewing.**

 **I have terrible planning. I blame my lack of foresight. If I had waited one week before I started posting this story, I could have posted chapter 13 on Friday the 13** **th** **. *Sigh* Oh well. What's done is done. I've never been one for planning, anyway.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 14**

Feliks had easily found the high school, and was perched on the roof. He knew that it was almost time for the students to leave, and that would be his best bet for catching up to Henri and Bella.

He jumped a little when the bell rang, before glaring at the direction where the sound had originated from. But he had to snap out of his annoyance fast. The students were leaving the building.

His sharp eyes scanned the students, and he smirked when he saw the two that he was looking for. Bella was speaking with Henri, and he was nodding along.

He frowned. He might have had sharp eyesight, but his hearing was only a little better than a human's. And with all the other students around, it was impossible for him to figure out what they were discussing.

He would need to get closer.

Feliks's eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to discern the route that they would take to return to their house. Once he found one, he quickly swooped closer, using glamour to disguise himself from the humans. He couldn't really afford for too many humans to become aware of the supernatural world, other than the vampires.

It happened once before, and innocent creatures died, and for the more menacing species, humans took their place, simply because humans didn't know how to tell the difference.

Feliks landed gracefully, retracting his wings before he undid the glamour, trying to ignore the fact that it drained his energy a little. He had work to do, and he could rest once their mission was complete.

"Feliks?"

Feliks put a smile on his face as he saw Bella and Henri, looking completely surprised to see him.

"Like, what's up?" Feliks asked.

"Our brother doesn't want us talking to you," Henri said.

"Who cares about Lars?" Bella snapped, looking at her brother before turning to Feliks. "Could you tell us a little more about us being half angel?"

Feliks's smile widened, and he told them all they needed to know as he walked home with them.

…

While the other Nordics were asleep, Lukas was awake, rifling through some of his tomes. Emil had told them about the fiery creature that was apparently with the vampire they were searching for, and Lukas knew that he needed to find out what it was.

Many creatures used glamour, but not a lot of fiery creatures. And as it were, most fire creatures were of low intelligence, meaning that they wouldn't be able to use glamour in the first place.

He also had to factor in the fact that the creature didn't seem to be able to smell Emil, or sense his presence.

He had narrowed it down to three creatures before he became immensely tired. He couldn't avoid it anymore. He _needed_ to sleep.

He just hoped that the unknown vampire wasn't around the creature when they confronted him again.

…

Lovino had retreated to Vlad's room again, trying to calm himself. He was trembling slightly, with his hands being the worst.

She had only spoken French, and it was one word. But the _accent_ … It sounded too much like _him_.

He was glad that there weren't anyone with a Spanish accent, because then he would lose it. And he couldn't have that. He wanted to move past it, but they refused to allow him freedom.

The only reason why he could handle Hans's German accent was because it was very faint, and his manner of speaking was nothing like Gilbert's. But he couldn't be around it for too long. He was just thankful that the kid was pretty quiet.

"You look like you could use a shoulder to cry on."

Lovino gasped, and he immediately turned to see a girl with green eyes and blond hair. Somehow, he could already tell that she was an angel.

"Who the hell are you?" Lovino demanded.

"My name's Alice," the woman said. "I'm a friend of Vlad's. An angel."

Lovino looked away, and Alice sighed.

"I know you're not fond of our kind," Alice said. "Not after being left to those monsters for months. But I came to ease your mind."

"Why?" Lovino asked. "Why the hell would you even care?"

Alice studied him for a moment before she sighed.

"You came to Vlad's room," she said. "Why? You have your own, so why did you come here?"

"Why the hell should I tell you?" Lovino snapped.

"Just answer my question."

Lovino was silent for a moment as he pondered the answer for himself.

"It's because Vlad makes me feel safe," Lovino said. "He saved me from the bastards that made my life hell. He knows what I've been through, and he's been through something like that as well. And he was the muse of two of my idols!"

Alice chuckled.

"I take it you're artistic?" she asked.

"Si," Lovino said. "But I'm nowhere near as good as my little brother."

"The older one?"

Lovino nodded.

"That's not surprising," Alice said. "After all, he _is_ an angel of the arts. Only a fellow art angel would be able to compete with him."

Lovino turned to look at her, his eyes wide. She smiled.

"When was the last time you painted something?" she asked.

Lovino swallowed nervously, looking away.

"A long time ago," he said.

"Then I think it's time you pick up the brush again," she said. "I know Feliks has an art room. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you went there for a spell."

Lovino nodded his head, standing up. Painting sounded nice.

…

Feliks sighed when he returned. He paused, searching for Vlad, before he heard heavy breathing.

He frowned, walking into the living room where he saw Vlad pressed against the back of the couch, sunlight streaming in.

"We should have checked for curtains," Vlad huffed.

Feliks winced, immediately knowing what the problem was.

"Like, oops," Feliks said. "Don't _any_ of the rooms have curtains?"

"If they did, would I be _here_? And the closets aren't exactly the kind in which I can hide. Behind the couch is the safest place for me."

Feliks walked over to the couch, summoning his wings as he climbed onto it. He allowed it to form a canopy over the vampire, adding extra shade.

"So, could you get through to them?" Vlad asked.

"Like, Bella and Henri are on board," Feliks said. "Their brother, on the other hand…"

"We need to find a way to convince him to come with us. It's for their own safety."

"So, you going to try again tonight?"

"If the Nordics would let me."

…

Lars kept his eye on the clock. The sun was setting, and it was almost time for him to go out hunting. He had even more weapons with him this time. He would be ready.

That is, if Bella would stop nagging him.

"I really think they're serious," Bella said. "And I think they can protect us."

"And why would they even _want_ to protect us?" Lars snapped. "One of them's a vampire…"

"Who saved you from two other vampires," Henri pointed out.

"I can take care of us," Lars said. "We don't need them."

"And what if something happens to you?" Bella demanded. "They're safe, I know it."

"We have no guarantee that they won't harm us when the chance arises," Lars said. "My decision is final. We aren't going with them."

Before the other two could start arguing again, Lars stormed out of the house. Even though it was too early for the vampires to come out, he needed to find a place a safe distance away to start his hunting.

…

"Idiot," Vlad said.

He had been listening to the siblings' conversation, and he was getting frustrated. He could understand the reasons why Lars didn't trust him, but it was getting ridiculous.

"I take it the big one is like being stubborn," Feliks said.

"Da," Vlad said. "And he already left the house."

"You want me to go after him? Sun hasn't completely set yet."

"Da, I would appreciate it."

Feliks smiled, before he dashed out of the house. Vlad sighed, counting down the minutes until the sun had completely set and the vampires deemed it safe to come out.

That was when things would go down.

…

Lars kept walking at a swift pace, wanting to get as far from his house (and his siblings) as possible. He didn't understand why they were so insistent on going with Vlad and Feliks. Why would they think that their mother was an angel, and why would they think that the vampire would protect them?

"Like, wait up!"

Lars's eyes narrowed, grabbing a stake and thrusting. He heard a yelp, and was a little annoyed to see that Feliks had caught it.

"Leave us alone," Lars growled.

"Like, no way!" Feliks argued. "Do you like have any idea what you're dealing with?"

"I've handled vampires for months. I can handle the ones you're worried about."

"Like, there's a _reason_ we're totally worried about them. Like, they're super dangerous."

"Look, why don't you go back to your nest?"

"Like, you said that you trust Vlad not to kill you. So like, why won't you trust him to protect you?"

"Because he's a _vampire_. The same kind of creature that killed our father."

"Like, Vlad's not your typical vampire."

"Oh really? What makes him so different?"

Feliks stared at him for a moment, before he sighed.

"Like, I'm going to tell you a little more about Vlad," Feliks said. "But you totally can't tell _anyone_ , got it? Like, not even Vlad can know that you know."

Lars studied the phoenix for a moment. He would admit that he was a little curious.

"Alright," Lars said. "I'm listening."

…

The Nordics set out as soon as the sun had completely set. They couldn't waste any time. They had to reach their destination as soon as possible.

They wanted the vampire that smelled like life, that didn't feed from humans, and that was old and powerful enough to have wings.

His power would be worth adding to their own.

…

Vlad had also set out as soon as the sun had completely set. He knew that the safest place for all of them would be in the Nephilim's' house with Vlad there as well. He at least would be able to protect them if they decided to attack.

He knocked on the door, anxious to get inside. He only waited for a moment before the door opened.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Vlad. Feliks spoke to you, right?"

The girl on the other side blinked for a moment, before she smiled.

"Ja, he did," she said. "You look cute."

"Thanks," Vlad said. "Listen, can I come in? It's important."

"What's wrong?"

Before Vlad could answer, he sensed five presences behind him, and Bella's eyes widened. Vlad growled, before he turned to face the five vampires.

Mathias had the widest smirk of all, and was the first to step closer.

"Nice to see you again," the Danish vampire said. "Trying to hide with a mortal? Either you're a coward or a genius." Mathias inhaled deeply. "Her scent is just as appealing. And she doesn't exactly look horrible. I think I'm going to have fun with her, the Viking way."

"Go inside," Vlad hissed. "Lock the door, and don't come out, no matter what."

He moved until he was shielding Bella, but it wasn't really necessary. All eyes were on Vlad.

"If you need to come inside," Bella said lowly, "you're more than welcome."

Vlad nodded minutely to tell her that he heard, and he heard the door close behind him. He was left alone with the five vampires.

Lukas was the next to step forward, and Vlad growled defensively.

"It's time to repay you for last night," Lukas said.

And all five vampires launched themselves forward.

…

Lars stared at the phoenix, trying to process what the other had told him. It seemed impossible.

But considering the fact that Feliks had managed to drop the 'likes' while he spoke, Lars couldn't help but think that he was serious.

"Well?" Feliks prompted. "Like, what do you say?"

Before Lars could answer, they were interrupted by something that sounded like thunder. The only problem was, it didn't come from the sky.

The two spun around to see several flashes of red and blue, and Feliks's eyes widened.

"Like, that's Vlad!" he exclaimed. "He's fighting those other vampires."

"He can handle them, right?" Lars asked.

"Like, yeah, but if things go too far… Like, you don't want to know what happens."

Lars nodded, and the two ran closer to help Vlad with his fight against the Nordics.

They gasped when they saw what was going on.

Vlad had summoned his wings, and there was a layer of ice over them, making them useless. And Lukas kept attacking with his ice magic.

And it didn't help that Mathias was attacking with an axe and Berwald with a spear whenever Lukas stepped back from his volley of attacks. Tino had a crossbow ready, shooting whenever he had an opening, and Emil was standing watch.

And Vlad was forced to dodge or block the attacks.

Emil tensed, and he turned to face the new arrivals. His face twisted in a snarl.

"It's him," Emil said. "It's the creature."

The Nordics paused in their attacks to regard Feliks and Lars, and Vlad took the opportunity to go towards them.

"That tiny man?" Mathias asked, before laughing. "Seriously, Icy, you think that _he_ could be dangerous?"

"Use your nose, you idiot!" Lukas snapped.

Mathias paused, before his eyes widened.

"Feliks…" Vlad warned, seeing the phoenix's hands shaking in anger.

Feliks reached out, melting the ice on Vlad's wings. The vampire immediately retracted them.

"Like, Vlad," Feliks said, "I think it's better if you go inside. These guys are going to fry."

"Please don't," Vlad whispered. "There's not enough distance between me and them."

Feliks nodded in understanding.

"Can I maim them?" Feliks asked.

"That you can do," Vlad said.

Lars was surprised when Vlad grabbed his arm, and he was pulled towards his house by the vampire. The other vampires tried to launch themselves at the two, but Feliks created a wall of fire, blocking the Nordics.

" _Try_ not to burn down my house!" Lars shouted.

"Come on," Vlad said, opening the door and shoving Lars inside.

Lars heard the door slam, and he stared in surprise as Vlad had entered the house as well.

"Who the hell gave you an invitation?" Lars demanded.

"I did."

Lars turned to see his sister, who was looking at Vlad worriedly, but not with the worry that Lars would have preferred.

"Why would you do that?" Lars asked.

"You said yourself that you don't think he'd kill us," Bella said. "And he's had his chance to attack, but he didn't."

"And I'm not going to," Vlad said. "Now, could we move somewhere else?"

Lars grunted, but he allowed his sister to lead him and the vampire to the living room.

But Vlad wasn't truly a vampire, now was he?

…

Feliks smirked at the vampires, who looked nervous at the sight of the phoenix. He decided to keep it simple by summoning his wings and turning his hands into claws. It was a half form, but it was more flexible than his full form.

"'Tiny', huh?" Feliks asked, eyes focused on Mathias. "So, you think I can't be dangerous? I'm five thousand years old! You should know that phoenixes have a quick temper."

Lukas's eyes widened, before they narrowed. He had moved closer to Mathias, and upon learning what Feliks was, he reached out and smacked the Dane on the head.

"Idiot," Lukas said. "Out of all the creatures you could have angered, it had to be a _phoenix_?!"

"What's the big deal?" Mathias asked.

"Not only is a phoenix near-impossible to kill, it doesn't _stay_ dead."

"Oh," Mathias said as Feliks screeched, right before launching himself at the vampires.

…

The four of them were in the living room. The humans had jumped when they heard the screech, but Vlad appeared unbothered.

"We still need to discuss whether or not you're coming with us," Vlad said.

"What's there to discuss?" Lars asked. "We're going nowhere with you."

"But…" Bella began.

"Nee. He's letting his friend fight while he's inside with us. Obviously, he's not risking anything to protect us. And what if more vampires attack?"

"You do know that you'd be dead on your own, right?" Vlad asked, face deadpan.

Lars said nothing. Bella sighed in frustration.

"Why must you be so stubborn?" Bella snapped.

"I'm only doing what's best for us," Lars said.

"I promise that I won't let anything happen to you," Vlad said. "But it _would_ be better if you came with us. I'd even teach you how you could _properly_ take care of yourselves, and I can also make sure that vampires wouldn't even want to touch you."

They were distracted by an orange flash that managed to penetrate the thick curtain. Vlad went over to investigate.

Outside, the vampires were fighting against the phoenix as much as they could, which wasn't much. They couldn't even get close enough.

The only one that stood a chance was Lukas, but as expected, his ice magic didn't hold a candle to the phoenix's flames.

"We need a better idea," Mathias said.

Lukas closed his eyes when Feliks sent a wave of fire his way, and he glanced towards the window. His eyes widened when he saw the curtain being pulled aside and red eyes stared out. He smirked, a plan coming to him, and he formed a spear of ice.

"Looks like Feliks has the upper hand," Vlad announced. "Not surprising, actually."

"Can I see?" Henri asked, stepping closer.

Vlad looked around, and his eyes widened when he saw what Lukas was up to. He turned around.

"No!" he shouted, but it was too late.

The sound of breaking glass was the first warning. Pain shot through Vlad's chest: the second warning. And Henri screamed in pain, the third warning. Bella and Lars shouting in horror, the fourth warning.

The ice spear had pierced through Vlad's heart, as well as Henri's.

 **Okay, so I have a question: What are the horror tropes you can think of? I'm working on something for Creative Writing which is a collection of short stories, all focusing on a type of character in horror or other tropes. I've already got a stalker (I have done a** _ **lot**_ **of research on yanderes for this one) and the next one I'd be working on would be an enfant terrible, but what else? Nothing with too much gore, and if there's gore, it has to be for a good reason. Horror and gore are not synonyms of each other.**

 **And on that note, could anyone recommend a good German or French movie, particularly horrors or thrillers?**

 **And I've learned recently that I speak English like a European (as said by a European) and that I speak German with a French accent. It's already old news that I sound English when I speak Afrikaans (my first language). And apparently, my accent would make a good post-graduate study.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Thanks to Zaaze, fishstick1999, TheClockworkStarling, NekoRyuuKo, Lovesbugsalot, Adorable Reader, ScandinavianTrash and Mehloveshorror for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 15**

Feliks froze when he heard the sound of shattered glass, followed by screams. He saw the broken window, and he saw the Norwegian vampire smirking in victory.

Feliks let out a screech of anger, and in a burst of flames, he transformed into his true phoenix form.

"What happened to not angering it?" Mathias asked, looking at Lukas.

"Come on," Lukas said. "Let's get out of here before the transformation is complete."

And when the flames that surrounded Feliks cleared, all five of the vampires were gone.

…

"Oh my god!" Bella exclaimed, her hands in front of her mouth.

Vlad looked into the eyes of the teen, since there was nothing else he _could_ look at in the moment. Henri's green eyes were wide and filled with pain.

Well, so much for protecting them.

Vlad knew what to do. It was convenient that he had been injured as well. But first things first.

Vlad started by pushing the other off of the ice spear, an action that earned a wince of pain from the other.

"What are you doing?" Lars asked, rushing closer. "That'll make it worse!"

"I know what I'm doing," Vlad said. "But first, I need him off."

Lars looked at him for a moment, before helping to pull Henri off of the spear. They tried to ignore the cry of pain the other gave as they removed the icy sphere, just like how they ignored the screech from outside and the flash of fire.

Lars lowered Henri to the ground as Vlad worked on removing the ice from his own body. Henri had become extremely pale, and there was blood dribbling out of his mouth.

Vlad removed his trench coat which was already soaked with blood and handed it to Lars.

"Make sure the bloody part is at his wound," Vlad instructed.

Lars took the coat, and he seemed surprised by the sight of the silver where red should have been, but he placed the coat over Henri nonetheless.

Vlad brought his hand to his own wound, getting it pretty soaked with his blood. He knelt down besides the inured teen and held out his hand.

"Drink this," Vlad ordered.

Henri looked as though he was out of it, so Vlad brought his own hand to the boy's mouth and pushed blood-soaked fingers inside.

"Are you trying to turn him?" Lars asked.

"No," Vlad said. "I have something else in mind. Something that won't compromise his humanity."

It was then that Henri's eyes glazed over, and Bella's breath hitched.

"No," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

Vlad frowned, and he brought his wrist towards his own mouth. He bit into it, and he took the wrist towards the other's agape mouth, squeezing his blood out.

"He's already dead," Lars said. "That's enough."

"Not yet," Vlad said, removing the trench coat.

Vlad's mouth twitched when he saw that the bleeding had stopped, and he reached out to feel the other's chest. The hole was smaller than it was supposed to be.

It was working.

Vlad squeezed some more blood onto the wound, trying to speed up the process.

None of them reacted to the sound of the door opening and closing, too intent on the dead teen.

Vlad was well aware of Feliks watching, but he didn't acknowledge the phoenix's presence, and the latter didn't say anything, since he knew that Vlad needed to concentrate.

Bella had tears streaming down her face, and Lars looked solemn as well. However, they both jumped back when there was a sudden intake of breath, the glassy eyes blinking a few times before the light returned to them.

"What…?" Bella whispered, in awe.

"Vlad's blood has healing powers," Feliks explained, startling two of the siblings, the third still recovering from his encounter with death. "It's strong enough to bring people back who've died only a few minutes ago."

Vlad tried to stand, but swayed on his feet. Feliks caught him.

"Like, this is the second time this week you got staked," Feliks said. "And the second coat you've ruined."

"Not my fault," Vlad muttered, his eyes drooping.

"What's wrong with him?" Bella asked, her arms wrapped around her younger brother.

"He's totally just tired," Feliks explained. "He used a lot of energy to heal Henri, now he has to work on healing himself. Plus wounds like this are like total torture for him. _Someone's_ not flying anytime soon."

Lars looked over at Vlad after he made sure that Henri was indeed alright and was in no danger of being turned into a vampire. He looked exhausted, and clearly he was suffering from his own injury, but his first priority had been to get Henri fixed up.

"Alright," Lars said. "We'll go with you."

Vlad looked surprised, before he smiled sleepily.

"Great," he said. "If you have anything you want to take with you, now's the time to pack. We leave as soon as you're ready."

…

Lovino had spent the entire time in Feliks's art studio. He didn't understand why the phoenix had one, since it wasn't used, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

He largely ignored the other occupants of the house. He made it clear that he didn't want to interact with any of them, and most of them kept their distance.

The only one that decided to linger was Hans, who Lovino grudgingly allowed to share the studio with him. The boy kept to himself, and was so immersed in his own work of art that he didn't seem to notice the Italian anymore, and that was fine by him.

Hans had left during the day to go to lunch and dinner, but Lovino didn't budge. He didn't want to run into Michelle with her French accent again. He didn't want to think about…

… _Hands holding him down, threatening to break his bones. His body breaking. Their cruel laughter as he screamed…_

He let out a cry of anguish, hands pulling at his hair. It was over, they wouldn't be able to hurt him anymore. It was _done_.

And yet they still haunted his thoughts, tormenting him, promising him that he would never escape from them.

He put more effort into his painting.

He wasn't even aware of what he had been painting. He just wanted to relax and get his mind off of everything. He wanted to forget.

Hans apparently decided that he was finished with his own painting, and walked closer to inspect the Italian's.

"Wow," Hans said. "Amazing. Vlad?"

Lovino paused, and his eyes widened when he realised that he had indeed painted Vlad. The painting had been crudely done, but it was filled with emotion. It had a gothic vibe to it.

Lovino never thought so of his paintings, but this one seemed to be a masterpiece, or was on the verge of being one. And he hadn't even been actively trying to paint what was in front of him.

"Don't tell Alfred," Lovino said.

He was _trying_ not to swear in front of the child, especially since they were alone. He didn't know if Jason was doing the same, but he at least would do his duty.

"Why doesn't he like Vlad?" Hans asked.

"Because he's a stubborn…" Lovino said, before he cut himself off.

No swearing around the child, especially when they were alone.

"Ja?" Hans prompted.

Lovino sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"He's just stubborn," Lovino said. "He's convinced that all vampires are evil, and because Vlad's a vampire, he doesn't think that he could be good."

"But you think that Vlad's good, right?" Hans asked.

"Si. Of course I do."

"Is that why you're always sticking up for him?"

"Si."

"Is he your friend?"

Lovino hesitated, before he nodded his head.

"I wish I had a friend like you," Hans mused. "Hey, when Vlad and Feliks come back, do you think they'll bring a kid my age with them?"

"I don't know," Lovino said. "Maybe."

"Yay," Hans said. "Maybe I get to have a friend my age."

Lovino sighed, wondering how it must feel for the kid to be the youngest among them. There was even a significant age gap between Hans and Jason and Marcello. It must be hard for the little guy.

Hans went back to his own project, and Lovino stared at his for a moment longer. Should he continue it?

Lovino shrugged, before deciding that since he had started, he might as well finish.

…

As soon as they were ready the siblings, the vampire and the phoenix left the house. They were standing in the front yard, Vlad leaning against the building.

"Like, I totally think you should climb on my back," Feliks said, looking at Vlad. "Like, there's no way you'd be able to fly like that."

"I fear you may be right," Vlad said, chuckling wryly. "I hope you don't mind."

"Like, not at all," Feliks said, smiling. "Hop on."

"What do you…?" Bella asked, before Feliks started to glow.

Feliks moved a distance away, where he allowed his true form to be revealed. He was around three times the size of Lars, with red and orange feathers.

"Wow," Henri and Bella said, amazed.

Feliks crouched down, allowing Vlad and the siblings to climb onto his back. They did so, glad that they had packed their belongings in duffle bags, allowing them to sling the bags over their shoulders.

The next problem came with getting a grip. Vlad noticed this and sighed.

"Phoenixes don't often carry passengers," Vlad explained. "But when they do, there's magic that would prevent the passengers from falling off. So you have nothing to fear."

The siblings exchanged a look before they nodded.

"Are you ready?" Vlad asked, and one by one the siblings nodded. "Alright then. Feliks, looks like you can go."

Feliks responded by spreading his wings, and with a gust of wind they were in the air.

…

The Nordics hadn't gone far, and were in fact watching as the phoenix took flight. Lukas frowned, glaring at the red-eyed vampire.

It had failed.

He could see some silver on the other's trench coat, and he wondered what it could be, but they had bigger things to worry about.

"Now what do we do?" Mathias asked. "A vampire like that could definitely pose problems for the natural order of things. Not to mention that bird of his."

"I think we should bring it up with one of the Lords," Lukas said.

"Do we really need to go that far?" Tino asked, looking worried.

"Ja," Mathias said. "He's powerful. And unless he joins the elite, he's a danger for our entire way of life."

"Then it's settled," Berwald said. "Who's the nearest Lord?"

"Yao Wang," Lukas said.

…

A figure watched the phoenix take flight, and it knew that the bird would lead it to where it wanted to be. So as discreetly as it could, it took flight as well.

…

They had been flying in a calm silence for a while now. No one wanted to say anything. Bella and Henri were enraptured by the sight all around them, Lars was naturally quiet, Vlad was too tired, and Feliks couldn't speak to the humans in this form.

But he _could_ speak to Vlad via telepathy.

'Like, Vlad. I think there's someone following us.'

'It's Heracles. He's recently been dragged down, and he wants to know if any of our Nephilim happens to be his heartwing.'

'And what if they aren't?'

'Then the two of us will be there to protect them in case things get ugly.'

Vlad knew that Feliks wasn't very happy with this arrangement, but they had no other choice at the moment. If Heracles was denied a chance to see for himself, then it would make him fall farther faster.

…

It took a while before they landed, and once they did, everyone was relieved. They climbed off of Feliks's back before the phoenix turned back into his human form.

"Alright," Feliks said. "Like, welcome to my house."

"This is a _house_?" the three siblings asked simultaneously.

"Da," Vlad said. "Feliks likes to live extravagantly."

The group made their way to the front door, although Vlad lingered behind, looking at the darkness behind him. He nodded his head in understanding, and proceeded to follow the others.

Heracles would give them time to settle first, and then he would come to see for himself. He also needed to calm his own nerves before he did anything.

When Vlad stepped into the house, he was surprised to be assaulted in a hug. He was even more surprised to see that the other was female.

The one that hugged him stepped back, and he was surprised to see Michelle.

"Bonsoir, Vlad," Michelle greeted. "How are you?"

He blinked a few times in surprise, trying to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.

"Um, Michelle?" Vlad said. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"I wanted to visit Feliks, and then I heard that you'd be coming back soon, so I… But I'm so happy to see you training Nephilim again, and… Vlad, what happened?"

Michelle's attention had shifted to his chest, where a silver stain took up most of the surface. There was also a hole in his coat, and if it weren't for the silver, the golden tattoo would have been revealed.

"I'll be fine," Vlad said. "We just ran into trouble."

"No kidding," Lars said, glancing towards his younger brother.

By that time, the other occupants of the house had come down to investigate the new arrivals, though they were more concerned about Vlad.

Lovino had come down as well, but he kept his distance, eyes trained solely on the silver staining Vlad's coat.

Vlad sighed, before he opened the door again. Everyone was surprised to see a new figure, and they all took nervous steps back.

"This is Heracles," Vlad said. "He's recently joined the ranks of the fallen angels. He just wanted to see whether or not one of you happens to be his heartwing."

"His what?" Bella asked, confused.

"I'll explain later," Vlad sighed.

Heracles entered the home, scanning everyone in the room. He paused, staring for a moment, before he started to move closer.

Feliciano took a nervous step back, seeing the larger man making a beeline for him. Alfred wanted to go help Feliciano, but Feliks held him back, a calm expression on his face.

When Heracles reached Feliciano, he simply stood there for a moment, staring at the smaller male. Feliciano had been nervous at first, but looking into the other's green eyes made him feel calm.

Heracles then surprised everyone by wrapping Feliciano in a hug.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my brother, you…" Lovino shouted, starting to stalk closer, down the stairs.

"It's alright," Vlad said, and Lovino stopped. "Feliciano is Heracles's heartwing. It's the most sacred bond for angels. Even fallen angels and demons respect it. Feliciano is the last person in the universe that Hera would hurt."

Vlad started to sway on the spot, and Michelle quickly grabbed him. Feliks fixed an intense glare on him.

"Like, you are totally going to bed," Feliks ordered.

"Da, da…" Vlad said, pushing away from Michelle.

Vlad started to make his way up the stairs, and the others allowed him to pass. It was only Lovino that stopped him.

"This is the second time," Lovino said.

"Da, I know," Vlad sighed. "The second time I've been impaled this week. I know I said I'd show you tonight, but… I'm so tired. Tomorrow, I promise."

Lovino's eyes widened, having forgotten about the agreement, and Vlad continued up the stairs.

Vlad first removed the stained clothes. He would worry about washing the blood off in the morning. But for the moment, the only thing he was worried about was getting some rest. Rest and a chance to heal.

He didn't know how long he had been lying there, but eventually he heard someone entering the room. He didn't even need to open his eyes or sniff the air to know that it was Lovino.

So, he still had nightmares.

Vlad didn't react at all when Lovino climbed into the bed next to him. It had become their normal routine, after all. Vlad couldn't help but wonder how Lovino fared without him for one night.

"I'm counting on you to show me tomorrow," Lovino whispered. "But… sleep tight, you jerk."

Vlad's mouth twitched, and he wrapped a protective arm around the Italian. Yes, Lovino deserved to know.

And Vlad had to figure out what exactly he had to show him.

…

The figure stared at the building, not daring to go closer. One of the occupants would be able to smell it, and that was the very one that it couldn't afford to be aware of its presence.

But now that it knew where he was, it could keep careful watch. And wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.

…

Seven figures emerged from the sewers they had been hiding in for a few days and nights. Their clothes were in tatters, and there were wounds that not even the vampires' healing factor could heal.

And they were all angry.

Those angels had left them alive, but they had completely humiliated them. All because of one vampire.

A vampire who was apparently powerful enough to have angels of death as _friends_.

And for someone like that to want those humans… Well, that just goes to say how special those humans were.

But they would need to get past _him_ to get to them, which could prove a problem.

"Now what do we do?" Gilbert whined.

"I have one suggestion," Arthur said, "but I don't think any of you will like it."

"Let's hear it, then," Francis sighed.

"We need to alert a Lord of his existence," Arthur said. "Since he might pose a threat to them and all."

"And which Lord should we go to?" Antonio asked.

"Well, Yao Wang _is_ an old acquaintance of mine…"


	17. Chapter 16

**Thanks to Zaaze, MemoriesOfTheFlame, Time Turner, NekoRyuuKo, TheClockworkStarling, Genevievevictioria, ScandinavianTrash, missycanucks, Mehloveshorror and an anon for reviewing. We've already reached the 100-review milestone. Thank you so much.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 16**

 _He stared at the broken figure with the black wings, his skin covered in silver. The wings were at a wrong angle, and there were tears streaming down his face._

 _A figure stood nearby. This one had grey wings, and looked familiar to him. The one with grey wings had a sad expression on his face, and he sighed in sorrow._

" _What has that bastard done to you?" he asked. He crouched down next to the broken figure. "Open your eyes."_

 _The broken figure opened his red eyes, and they were just as broken as the man they belonged to. He had never seen someone in such a sorry state. Not even himself._

" _Come on," the grey-winged figure said, lifting the broken one. "Let's get you to safety. To the warmth."_

" _N-no," the broken figure rasped. "The sun. It burns."_

" _I'm sure you're just exaggerating," the other said, before he started towards the mouth of the cave._

 _The image faded as a pained scream echoed, followed by cursing._

" _Oh shit! You were serious! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!"_

…

Lovino awoke with a gasp. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he was nowhere near ready to wake up.

Vlad seemed to still be asleep, and Lovino stared at him in astonishment mixed with horror. He had seen another of Vlad's memories, and while it _was_ what he wanted, it provided more questions than answers.

He recognised the grey-winged figure as that angel of death, Dimitri. But the other didn't know that the sunlight hurt Vlad. Either the other didn't know what Vlad was yet, or it was near the beginning of his transformation. But how would the angel not know what Vlad was yet?

Wait. How old was the vampire race?

Lovino never gave it much thought, but when did the first vampire emerge. _How_ did it emerge? And Vlad…

Did his transformation come _before_ or _after_?

Lovino frowned. He would need to ask Vlad, once he was awake. That was to say, if he wasn't awake now, just pretending to be asleep. It was what happened every time, anyway.

Lovino decided that he should try to go to sleep again. Perhaps he could see another vision of Vlad's past.

He cuddled closer, and for the first time noticed that the other wasn't wearing a shirt. Lovino blushed, and he wanted to yell at Vlad for sleeping like that, before he smelt something.

How did he not notice it before?

It smelled sweet, like flowers and honey. But where did it come from?

It took Lovino a few moments to realise that he was smelling Vlad's blood. He didn't know whether to feel horrified or intrigued. The blood was so different from the norm. So different, in fact, that it didn't even trigger a flashback.

Lovino placed his hand on the other's chest, and there it was again. The steady heartbeat. It was reassuring and confusing. But it served as a reminder that Vlad was _nothing_ like _them_.

Lovino frowned, feeling a slight lift in the skin. He lifted the covers slightly, thankful that his months in captivity had given him good night vision.

Among the silver he could just see something in gold. It was too dark to see what it was, but there was no mistaking the colour.

He would just need to ask Vlad when it was lighter.

He yawned, realising that it was indeed too early to be awake. Snuggling closer again, he closed his eyes, part of him wanting to see more of Vlad's past, and another part afraid of what he might see.

…

When Feliciano woke up, he found himself lying on top of Heracles, the other's wings forming a protective cocoon around him.

He had certainly been afraid of the fallen angel at first, but Feliks had convinced him to give the other a chance. Feliks had also told him that since he was Heracles's heartwing, he might be responsible for the other's redemption.

Feliciano couldn't understand why _he_ was the fallen angel's heartwing. After all, they were both boys. But Feliks had explained that gender didn't matter, especially considering the fact that they couldn't breed with each other.

And didn't the bible say that angels were genderless?

This was all too confusing for the Italian. He didn't understand much of what was happening, but…

He had to admit that Heracles made him feel safe. He couldn't explain it, but it was as though he instinctively knew that Heracles would never hurt him, and would never allow him to be hurt. It was one of those things that a person just knew.

Feliciano felt the other stir beneath him, and he looked up in time to see the green eyes open. The owner of the green eyes smiled softly when he looked down at Feliciano.

"Morning," Heracles said, before he yawned.

"Bongiorno," Feliciano muttered. "Um, what made you think that I'm, uh…?"

"That you're my heartwing?" Heracles asked, and Feliciano nodded. "An angel – even a fallen angel – knows the moment they meet their heartwing. It's as though the emptiness that you've carried inside you for so long suddenly disappears. An angel's heart skips a few beats. Literally."

"Ve, and that happened with me?"

"Of course. I'd probably be kicked out if that wasn't the case."

"Why?"

"Because if I didn't find my heartwing – I could have lost my temper, and Vlad would have kicked me out in an effort to protect all of you. Even in his weakened state, Vlad would have been able to defeat me."

"Is he that strong?"

"It's not strength. He has more repressed anger than I have, but it's kept in check by his sorrow. But if I started to attack you, he would have gotten angry. Plus he's more cunning than me. And he often goes toe to toe with an angel of war."

"Ve, what kind of angel are you?"

"Were," Heracles corrected. "I was an angel of philosophy."

"Oh. Um, how did you fall?"

"Technically speaking, I didn't fall. I was dragged. Everyone only refers to us as fallen angels, but there are three types: fallen, dragged and pushed. Fallen implies that I became like this because of my own mistakes. Dragged refers to a demon doing everything in their power to make you fall from grace. And pushed means that a fellow angel betrayed you. A demon messed with my mind enough that I attacked a fellow angel, severely injuring him."

"And that's why you fell?"

"Yeah."

"Why haven't I ever heard of pushed or dragged angels before?"

"Because we're the only ones that refer to ourselves as that. Even angels and demons call us fallen angels."

"But… it's so unfair. It's not your fault. Don't they understand?"

"It's not that they don't understand. It's just that they don't care. I got off lucky. If my crime had been worse…"

It was silent for a moment, and Feliciano frowned.

"What's the worst crime that a pushed or dragged angel had committed?"

Heracles sighed, and he looked reluctant to speak. But he knew that he had to.

"The creation of the vampire race."

…

Most of the group were in the kitchen, taking some of the delicious pancakes that Matthew had made. Only Vlad and Lovino were absent.

Even Heracles had gone down, and to everyone's surprise, he completely _drenched_ his pancakes in maple syrup.

"Dude, you're almost worse than Matt," Alfred said, eying the former angel's plate.

"I can't help it," Heracles said. "Angels have a sweet tooth, which extends to fallen angels as well. Vlad also has a sweet tooth."

"And demons?" Jason asked, before Alfred could make a comment about Vlad.

"Their taste is more sour and spicy."

"Hey, Feliks?" Matthew said, looking at the phoenix. "Um, I've been wondering… Are your food supplies enchanted or something, because…"

"Like, totally," Feliks said. "I so didn't like to go to the store to get some food, and like since I don't eat that often, by the time I feel like I _do_ need to eat, everything's totally expired. So I asked Vlad to use his magic to help me enchant everything so that I totally have an unlimited supply of everything and that it never expires."

"Smart move," Marcello said, digging into his pancakes.

Heracles then took another plate, stacking them with pancakes and drowning it in maple syrup. Alfred saw this and frowned.

"Dude," Alfred said, "how much do you want to eat?"

"I'm taking this to Vlad," Heracles said. "I'm sure after getting impaled he would like something sweet."

"Ve, but what about Lovi?" Feliciano asked.

Heracles looked towards him, and the Italian immediately prepared a plate with pancakes for his brother, being a little more careful with the amount of maple syrup.

"Why do you need to take one to the vampire?" Alfred asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Because this is the least I could do for him," Heracles said, before leaving the room with Feliciano trailing behind.

The two walked in silence, Feliciano looking at the fallen angel with a look of concentration. Finally, he broke the silence.

"So," he said, "what's your favourite thing in the world?"

"I like cats," Heracles said.

"Really? Yay. I can understand that. They're so cute and fluffy, and they give you tonguebaths, and…"

While Feliciano continued to list reasons of why cats were great, neither noticed as they were being followed.

It was on the second floor that Feliciano stopped, looking puzzled.

"I just realised I don't know which room is my brother's," he said.

Heracles shrugged, looking unbothered.

"I'm sure we could ask Vlad if we have to," Heracles said. "If he doesn't know, then he'd at least be able to sniff him out."

"Yay~ You're right!"

Heracles smiled at the cheerful Italian. He supposed that he got lucky with his heartwing.

They reached the room that Feliciano claimed was Vlad's, and they carefully peered inside. Sleeping in the same bed was none other than Vlad and Lovino, Vlad's arms draped protectively around Lovino.

"Looks like Lovi still has nightmares," Feliciano said sadly.

Heracles stared. It suddenly made sense, why Vlad was helping the Nephilim, and why he was so protective over them. And Heracles was happy for him.

Vlad opened his eyes, and he and Heracles stared at each other. There was a mutual understanding between the two. Heracles nodded his head.

"What the hell?!"

Lovino jumped as he was awoken by the abrupt shout. Feliciano also jumped in surprise, dropping the plate of pancakes in the process.

Everyone's attention turned to Alfred, who was standing in the doorway behind Heracles and Feliciano.

"What the hell do you want, hamburger bastard?!" Lovino shouted.

"Dude, why are you sleeping in the same bed as _him_?!" Alfred demanded. "And why is he naked?"

"Just upper body," Vlad said, groaning.

"Shut up! I knew you were bad news. You've been molesting Lovi!"

"Don't call me that!" Lovino shouted. "And this is _his_ bed."

"Da," Vlad said. "I was here first."

"I told you to shut it!"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Lovino snapped.

"You're in the same _bed_ as him! He's probably molested you! _Why_ are you defending him?!"

Lovino growled, glancing towards Feliciano before looking back at Alfred.

"Do you have any idea the kind of hell I've been through?" Lovino growled. "Vlad has this ability that takes my dreams – my nightmares – away, but it only works if I'm touching him."

"Oh, did _he_ tell you that?" Alfred sneered.

"It's called _contact_ telepathy," Heracles said. "Vlad has it."

"Stay out of this!" Alfred snapped at Heracles. He turned to Lovino. "I don't know what you've been through. You won't tell us. But you let _him_ know. You trust _him_ more than you trust _me._ We've been friends since we were in _diapers_. Why won't you tell me?!"

By now, the others had all run up to see what all the shouting was about. Most of them were panting in the effort.

"Because I don't _want_ to," Lovino spat. "I want to forget it. And I don't want your sympathy. I've been weak long enough. I don't want you guys to… to…"

"How bad could it possibly be? A bunch of vampires that kept you for food? You know, now that I think about it, I think you're blowing this _way_ out of proportion."

"Sh-shut up!"

"No! Give me _one_ reason why you keep going on about how _traumatising_ it was."

"I was _raped_ , all right?!"

Everyone was silent. Alfred's eyes widened in shock and horror. Lovino was shaking, tears stinging his eyes and fists clenched. He was glaring at Alfred.

"The Bad Touch Trio are famous for sexually abusing their victims," Lovino said. "Are you happy, bastard? Now you know the hell I went through. Not only did they drink my blood, they… And sometimes they'd make a sick game out of it. They'd sometimes bring humans to their place and they would force me to kill them. If I did that, they'd leave me alone for the night. I was forced to look into those people's eyes as I was forced to stab them in the heart. Some of them were _children_. And if Vlad can keep those nightmares away, then _fine_. He's done more to help me forget about them than _you_ have."

"Lovi…" Alfred whispered.

"Don't call me that! Don't ever fucking call me that! _They_ never used my full name, so they…"

Vlad was watching Lovino closely, a sad expression on his face. Tears were streaming down Lovino's face.

Lovino then kicked the covers aside, and he stormed out of the room, shoving everyone out of the way.

Vlad sighed, before he climbed out of the bed as well.

"I've been helping Lovino recover," Vlad said. "I saw when I tried to get an idea of what's happened in the last twenty years. My ability allows Lovino to have a dreamless sleep. I know what it's like to go through hell – literally _and_ figuratively. Lovino trusts me because I _know_ what happened to him, and I haven't treated him as he expected to be treated. And I've been doing everything in my power to help him forget. And you just ruined my hard work."

Vlad sighed again going towards the closet and taking some clothes out.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said. "Lovino needs his space, and I'd really love to get this blood off of me. I don't recommend going near Lovino at the moment, alright?"

Vlad left the room as well. Alfred didn't move at all.

Michelle sighed, looking at Alfred.

"I know you're concerned for your friend," she said. "But you need to control your words. Accept that he had a reason for keeping it from you. He wasn't ready to tell you yet."

"Wait," Alfred said, breaking out of his stupor. "When did _I_ become the bad guy?"

"You hate Vlad," Feliciano said. "Even though he's been nice to us and hasn't given us reason to be scared of him."

"I owe my life to Vlad," Henri said, surprising the group. "Vampire or not, he saved me, and he made himself weaker to do that. He could have healed himself first, but he wanted me to be saved first. He's not a bad guy. And I think everyone sees that, except you."

"But…" Alfred began.

"Al," Matthew sighed. "You're the one that upset Lovino. You're the one that pushed him. And I know you're paranoid and upset with the vampire outbreak, but taking it out on Vlad isn't going to help anyone."

One by one the others left, until it was just Alfred, Feliciano and Heracles.

"Dude," Alfred said. "What just happened?"

Heracles sighed.

"I think there's something you need to know about Vlad," Heracles said.

…

It was a while before Vlad went to find Lovino. The other was in Feliks's art studio, attacking a canvas with paint. So far, it was difficult to say what the painting would be.

Vlad was about to say something, when his eyes landed on another canvas, one that had been completed the day before, judging by the smell. He was surprised to see a portrait of himself, painted in more or less the same style as Lovino was doing at the moment.

"What do you want?" Lovino asked, shaking Vlad from his thoughts.

Lovino had stopped his furious painting and turned to look at him.

"Are you going to be alright?" Vlad asked.

"I'll be fine," Lovino huffed, turning back to his painting.

Vlad looked at him sadly, before turning his attention back to the other painting.

"Did you make that?" Vlad asked.

Lovino followed his gaze and his face turned red.

"Were you planning to paint all of us?" Vlad asked. "I think it's a nice way to remind you that there are people that care about you. If you want, I can do one of you as well."

"You can paint?" Lovino asked.

"I was friends with Michelangelo and Da Vinci. They made sure that I knew how to paint."

"Oh, then, I guess it's fine."

"You know, enough time has passed. If you still want to see…"

Lovino turned to him, eyes wide. Vlad sighed, before he bit his wrist and held it out to Lovino.

"One of two drops will do," Vlad said. "I chose a memory that would explain as much as possible. But please, don't hate me for it."

Lovino stared at him for a moment, before looking at the wrist. He hesitantly walked closer. He looked towards Vlad one more time before he licked some of the blood.

…

The place he found himself in was dark. It had an ominous feeling to it.

In the centre of the room stood Vlad, his head bowed and his entire body wrapped in chains, including the wings. But that couldn't be right.

Lovino's eyes widened in shock. It… It was impossible.

Vlad's wings were _white_.

 **I think I failed with the Alfred-Lovino argument scene. It felt a little unnatural to me, but unfortunately I don't think I can change it.**

 **And apparently angels are genderless, so I'm rolling with it.**

 **But yeah, I think I've been hinting for a long time regarding what the Bad Touch Trio did to Lovino.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Thanks to Time Turner, Abc, Zaaze, fishstick1999, Rein of Terror, NekoRyuuKo, ScandinavianTrash, Mehloveshorror and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 17**

Lovino stared in surprise. It was definitely Vlad, only with white wings instead of black. And white wings were the marks of angels.

When he asked Vlad if he was a fallen angel, did Vlad _lie_?

"The trial for the angel Vlad shall now commence," a voice boomed, distracting Lovino. "How does the accused plead?"

Lovino looked towards Vlad, and he was shocked to see the absolutely _broken_ look in Vlad's eyes.

"It doesn't matter what I say," Vlad said.

"Very well then. Are you aware of the accusation against you?"

"I think so."

"You defied the laws of nature by creating another race. And what's more, you collaborated with a demon."

"I did my job!" Vlad said, looking defiant. "As an angel of life, I am supposed to protect all forms of life! I had no idea that that demon…"

"Silence! Do you have any idea how many people have died because of your actions? For an angel of life, it is beyond unforgivable."

Vlad bowed his head, and Lovino was angered that the other didn't bother to listen to Vlad's argument.

"Do you accept guilt for the creation of vampires?"

Lovino's eyes widened, and he hoped that Vlad denied it, but to his horror, Vlad nodded his head.

"Yes," he whispered. "But I was unaware of what would happen. It was never my intention."

There was silence for a moment. Lovino wondered what it could mean.

"We shall see how much guilt you bear," the voice said again.

Lovino saw as a set of scales appeared, the weights constantly moving. Vlad had his eyes on it as well.

"The charges against you are measured against your guilt. The heavier the guilt, the more severe the punishment."

Lovino watched the scales as they continued to move, eventually coming to a stop. They were only slightly tipped, probably only by a centimetre or so. Vlad sighed in relief. Apparently, the punishment wouldn't be as severe as he thought it would be.

"Your guilt is light," the voice said. "However, that doesn't change the fact that your crime is heavy."

"What?!" Vlad demanded, horrified.

"For the crime of creating creatures of darkness, you are hereby banished from heaven."

"No! You can't! It was never my intention! I never had _any_ intention to…"

"Silence!" the voice boomed. "You will never set foot in heaven again. Just be grateful that the punishment isn't more severe."

"How can it be more severe?" Vlad asked in a small voice. "That's the worst fate you could condemn me to."

Lovino was surprised when things became dark, and a different, distorted voice could be heard.

"Things could always be worse."

…

Lovino gasped when he found himself in the art studio on his hands and knees. He was trembling, and he could feel his body covered with cold sweat.

He turned around to see Vlad, who was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and face emotionless. Lovino forced himself to his feet.

"You lied to me," Lovino said. "You told me that you aren't a fallen angel."

"There are three distinctions," Vlad said, his voice void of emotion. "Fallen angel suggests that they fell because of their own design, something which I am not guilty of. A dragged angel refers to an angel that fell because of a demon's influence. And a pushed angel is someone who's been betrayed by fellow angels. I fall in the latter two categories. So technically, I'm not a _fallen_ angel."

Lovino glared, hating the loophole and technicality, but there was something more pressing. He remembered that in one of the memories he saw of Vlad, the demon had mentioned being pushed and dragged.

"If you're just a fallen angel," Lovino said, "then why can't you go in the sunlight? And why is your blood silver?"

"Because I'm not _just_ a fallen angel," Vlad sighed. "I know you saw another memory of mine very early this morning. The one where Dimitri tried to drag me into the sun."

Lovino flushed. So, Vlad was aware of that. Vlad continued to speak, still not opening his eyes.

"That was after the first memory you saw, which happened right after the one you just saw. Ivan found me right after I fell. Simply put, he kicked me while I was down."

"Bastard," Lovino muttered.

Vlad's mouth twitched, before he sighed.

"Ivan found me afterwards," Vlad continued, "and he tortured me for a while to see if I could succumb faster. When that didn't work, he decided to curse me. So asides from the punishment, I've also been cursed."

"I don't see why you've been punished," Lovino said. "What happened, anyway?"

Vlad was silent for a moment, before he opened his eyes. Lovino expected them to be emotionless like his face and voice, but they were the same as in the memory.

"I used to be an angel of life," Vlad said. "I had the ability, the blood of life. It allowed me to heal anything. I was supposed to use it to stop untimely deaths. Before the great Fall, Lucifer wanted me to join them. The blood of life is unique because of the fact that it still has its effects even after it's been used, allowing the person to heal themselves for a few days afterwards. I refused to join him. One of the angels on Lucifer's side was Ivan, who decided to make it his mission to get me on their side in order to make Lucifer happy. By the time the War came, they still hadn't succeeded. Lucifer's backed off, but Ivan hasn't."

"What does this have to do with what I saw?" Lovino asked.

"I'm getting to that. There were a few tricks in the past where Ivan tried to get me to fall, but they all failed. Except for one. He managed to create a poison that my blood couldn't cure and infected a human. I still tried, by means of ingestion. My blood and the poison reacted to each other, transforming the human into another creature, one that had never been seen before."

"A vampire," Lovino whispered.

Vlad nodded, biting his lip.

"Before we could fix it, the vampire killed many people, and turned quite a few. And once the vampires stopped going on their rampage, the angels captured _me_. You saw what happened next."

Lovino was silent for a moment, processing the information. Vlad refused to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Lovino asked at last.

Vlad chuckled bitterly.

"After everything that happened to you, do you need to ask?" Vlad asked. "It was already a miracle that you trusted me when you thought I was a vampire. If I told you that I was _responsible_ for vampires…"

"Why does it matter to you what I think?" Lovino snapped. "You could have saved a lot of trouble with the hamburger bastard if you told us you were a fallen angel."

"You've seen how he is because I'm a vampire. How would he react when he hears that I'm the one that created the first vampire?"

Lovino was speechless. He could see Vlad's point. He would receive more grief for revealing that fact. And it was probably easier to keep everything a secret than to risk them asking how he fell.

"You said you were cursed as well," Lovino said. "What did you mean?"

Vlad looked at him weakly, before sinking to the ground. Lovino took a step forward before he could stop himself.

"He condemned me to existence as the very creature we created," Vlad said. "With some modifications, thanks to my blood. It can also undo most curses. Vampirism isn't one of them. Because it's the blood of life, my blood became silver instead of bronze. I don't feel hunger, and nothing can kill me. There are only a handful of beings with that power. Ivan being one of them."

"And he doesn't kill you because…?"

"Because his entire goal is to get me to become a demon and join them. If they have my healing factor… Not even angels would be able to stand up to it. They're planning another war against heaven."

"Then why is it only the one demon after you?"

"Because it's _his_ mission. The other demons are more focused on claiming Earth first. And to do that, they have to make it _completely_ impossible for angels to come here. They've already made progress thanks to the vampires."

Lovino walked closer to Vlad, who avoided his eyes.

"I was an angel of life," Vlad said in a small voice. "We're creatures of life and light, more so than almost every other type of angel. To be condemned to this existence of darkness and death… It's pure torture."

Lovino wanted to feel angry at Vlad for keeping everything a secret, but seeing Vlad now, he could understand. After all, he kept his pain secret from his friends and family. Vlad deserved his privacy as well.

"Didn't your angel buddies try to help you?" Lovino asked.

"The ones that would stick up for me were either not allowed into the trial or were busy cleaning up my mess," Vlad said. "A lot of angels also lost faith in me, turning their backs and abandoning me. When they gave me this mission, they offered me forgiveness. _I_ don't need _their_ forgiveness."

"They need yours," Lovino finished.

Vlad nodded, and Lovino couldn't help but think that the other looked extremely vulnerable.

"The friends that didn't abandon me tried to help me," Vlad said. "They searched for me after I fell, but when they found me it was too late. I had been tortured and cursed by a demon, in every way possible."

"What do you mean?" Lovino asked.

Vlad chuckled wryly, before turning his head.

"He said that if I ever found my heartwing, he would…" Vlad said, before shaking his head. "He said that my heartwing would never want me. Would refuse me."

"Is that so bad?"

"Yes. It's essentially being rejected by your other half. It's rare that it happens, but… When it happens to an angel, that angel is doomed to spend the rest of eternity as stone, at least until the heartwing decides otherwise. And with a fallen angel, it's the easiest way to turn them into a demon."

Lovino's eyes widened, and he could see tears falling from Vlad's eyes.

"It's the most sacred bond that angels have," Vlad said. "To threaten that… And finding my heartwing was the one shred of hope I've clung to for nine thousand years. Nine thousand years of torture without a sign of my heartwing… Going through all that, and with the possibility of being rejected… I've accepted a long time ago that it would be a Nephilim. There are simply no other angels left. And it's easier for a Nephilim to deny the bond than it is for an angel. And even if he doesn't reject me… If Ivan learns about him, then he _will_ find a way to use him against me. The next encounter we have would be my last as a fallen angel. After that… He'll guarantee that I become a demon."

Lovino could feel a knot in his throat. He had never seen anyone so scared, sad and vulnerable before.

"You said that he'd be a Nephilim," Lovino said. "Is it one of the others?"

Vlad gave a sad laugh, before he shook his head. Lovino sighed, before sitting down next to him. He surprised both of them by pulling Vlad into a hug.

Feeling Vlad tense in his arms, Lovino felt his face heat up in embarrassment, but he didn't let go.

"You'll find him someday," Lovino said. "And if he rejects you, then he's an idiota."

Vlad chuckled, before relaxing in Lovino's arms. Lovino smiled a little. His heart had fluttered when he heard Vlad's laugh. And for some reason he also felt a pang in his heart.

…

Alfred lay on his bed, processing the information that Heracles had given him.

Vlad was a fallen angel. He fell in the same way Heracles did – because of a demon. Vlad had also been pretty important to the angels, but they had turned their backs to him, allowing that demon to get to him. He had been cursed to become something _like_ a vampire, since it was the closest he could get to a demon.

But he wasn't a real vampire.

Heracles had told him and Feliciano about how Vlad had been tormented by that demon and his underlings, and how most angels turned their backs to him. Heracles said that fallen angels had completely fallen and become demon without going through even half of what Vlad went through.

Alfred had seen Vlad as a villain because he thought he was a vampire, but after hearing about what Vlad _truly_ was…

Perhaps he was just an antihero.

But he felt like a jerk after everything he's said to and about Vlad. Thinking about it, Vlad had done nothing to earn his hate, and had done whatever he could to help them. Especially Lovino, who needed Vlad's help the most.

Thinking about Lovino made Alfred feel even guiltier than before. He should have known that there would be more than just being a food source. He figured that after a few days, Lovino would have felt better. He didn't count on there being deeper emotional scars.

He felt bad because he had hurt Lovino. He could now understand why Lovino stood up for Vlad, because Vlad helped him more than anyone else did. And if Alfred remembered correctly, Vlad could read minds, so Lovino didn't necessarily have to trust Vlad with the information. He just found out for himself.

In a way, Alfred was grateful to Vlad because of that. If Vlad wasn't there, and if he didn't find out about what happened to Lovino, then the Italian would have been completely closed off from them, and he could fall deeper into the pit of darkness he found himself in. And if things got to be too much…

Alfred was aware of the fact that he wasn't the brightest, and that he had a hard time reading the atmosphere. But even he knew enough of Lovino's nature to know how things would have gone without Vlad.

And that made him feel worse about how he had acted.

He sighed, deciding that he would apologise to Vlad and Lovino. He had overreacted and said things that he probably shouldn't, and he managed to upset one of his oldest friends.

But knowing Lovino, he would need to wait for a while. The Italian had a foul temper, and wouldn't be happy to see him so soon after their earlier scene.

He decided to go see if he could perhaps find Vlad.

…

"Like, you _told_ them?!"

Heracles looked at the smaller phoenix with a bored expression on his face.

"I don't see what the problem is," Heracles said. "They would have found out anyway."

Feliks pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Like, do you have any idea how much it hurts Vlad?" Feliks asked.

"So? I'm a fallen angel too," Heracles said. "Well, _dragged_ , but…"

"Like, it's not about the _punishment_ ," Feliks said. "It's the _crime_. Like, think for a moment. What would the reaction be?"

Heracles was silent for a moment.

"Oh," Heracles said.

"Like, is that _all_ you can say?" Feliks snapped. "A simple 'oh'? Like, you might just have made things totally worse for Vlad."

"I see. Under these circumstances, I think I see why Vlad wouldn't want them to know about what he did, or was tricked into doing. Good thing I didn't tell them."

Feliks sighed.

"But like, how long until they find out?" Feliks asked. "And what would their reactions be? Especially Lovino. And it doesn't help that you told the two loudmouths."

"I'll see if I can convince them not to tell the others," Heracles said. "Feliciano is in the kitchen, and the blond is in his room."

"Like, go to Feli then, and I'll totally deal with Alfred."

…

Vlad and Lovino still sat in each other's arms. Vlad no longer looked upset, but neither of them was willing to let each other go yet.

"Hey, I was wondering something," Lovino said. "You said you created a few vampires. Why?"

Vlad sighed.

"I guess I was trying to fix my mistake," Vlad said. "I hoped that, if their intentions were pure, they wouldn't succumb to darkness. Out of all of them, the only one I'm proud of is Dracula. After doing what he had to in order to protect his family and people, he waited for the sunrise in order to take his own life. I was there with him, lurking in the shadows."

"Can I…" Lovino said. "Can I see that memory?"

Vlad smiled.

…

 _He saw a man with long black hair standing at the edge of a cliff, a tent behind him. Inside the tent was a familiar strawberry-blond figure._

" _Are you sure about this?" Vlad asked. "I mean, you'd be the first to…"_

" _To honour my promise?" the other asked without turning to him. "I guess I have more honour than the others had."_

" _Da. I'm going to miss you."_

" _I would say the same, but I honestly don't know if I'd be able to. Is there an afterlife for my kind?"_

" _I don't know."_

" _What is the afterlife like for humans? Do they really go to heaven or hell?"_

" _Not in the sense you think. They go to their own worlds, and depending on what kind of life they've lived, it's either their personal paradise or personal hell. Neither angels nor demons can interact with them, so it's unclear what it's like. There are also a few exceptions."_

" _I see. Then I guess I will have to find out for myself."_

 _The sun had risen, and finally reached the black-haired male. He turned to Vlad._

" _Thank you for everything."_

 _And he didn't even scream when his body burst into flames, merely accepting his fate._

 **I think it was pretty obvious what Vlad used to be. But how he ended up what he is now had been kept mostly under wraps.**

 **And now, a bit of confusion and philosophy as well. Vlad sired the first vampire, but he himself became a vampire after the first vampire. So who's considered the first, the sire or the sired?**


	19. Chapter 18

**Thanks to Time Turner, Mehloveshorror, Zaaze, MemoriesOfTheFlame, EloiseTheTomato, fishstick1999, Lovesbugsalot, NekoRyuuKo and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 18**

Alfred had searched in the third floor bathroom, as well as Vlad's room for the vampire. Or, he supposed he shouldn't be thinking of the other as a vampire anymore. He would probably need to see Vlad as a fallen angel now.

It was so strange. He had convinced himself of so many things about Vlad, that he was having a hard time changing his mind. He needed to change his entire perspective, before he had another outburst that would hurt Lovino, or any of the others, for that matter.

He was startled to see Feliks come running up the stairs, looking as though someone had ruffled his feathers, figuratively speaking.

Feliks seemed relieved when he saw Alfred, and quickly jogged towards him.

"What's up?" Alfred asked. "Did something happen?"

"Nie," Feliks said. "I just totally need to ask you not to like tell the others about what Vlad is."

"Huh? But why not? I mean, this is kind of important."

"Yeah, and that information is totally Vlad's highest form of trust. Like, he doesn't like it if people know unless he tells them. Like, you see, the thing with immortal beings like us is that emotional pain… Like, time _doesn't_ heal those wounds. It totally sticks with us until we like change our state of being."

"Um, and what's that supposed to mean?"

"Like, in my case it usually means if I like die and get reborn. For Vlad, it would be either one of two things: either he becomes a demon or he ceases to exist. And, like, which one do you think is preferable?"

Alfred swallowed, before nodding his head.

"Can I at least tell…?"

"Like, no. No one, got it?"

Alfred sulked.

"Fine," he said. "No telling. So, where is he? I want to apologise."

"Like, he's with Lovino."

"Oh. Then I'm going to need to wait a while, huh?"

"Like, that would be the best thing."

"So, um, _is_ there anything more between the two of them?"

Feliks rolled his eyes, before turning around and going back to the stairs. Alfred wasn't sure if it was a yes or a no.

…

Feliciano jumped when strong arms wrapped around him from behind. He turned around to see Heracles looking at him with his usual tired look. He gave a small smile.

"Is something wrong?" Feliciano asked.

"Could you please not tell the others what I told you?" Heracles asked. "About Vlad?"

"Ve, of course. If he didn't tell us himself, there was a reason, si? Like maybe he wasn't ready to tell us. Like Lovi. So I'm going to let Vlad tell the others, especially Lovi. And if the others are mad at him and make him sad, then I'll make him happy again. It's not his fault, right?"

"No, it wasn't."

"Ve, so what exactly did he do?"

"I'd rather not have an angry firebird on my back for telling you."

"Aw…"

"He'll tell you himself, alright?"

"Ve, okay! Um, do you want some pasta?"

"Sure."

"Yay! I'll make some more."

…

Lovino was still for a moment as he processed what he had seen in the memory. It wasn't filled with pain and anguish like the other memories. It was calm and tranquil.

He was actually impressed with himself that he could feel the different emotions.

Lovino looked towards Vlad and smiled.

"Grazie," Lovino said. "That memory… It was special to you, wasn't it?"

"Da," Vlad said. "It was the only one of my children that I got close to. The only one that respected me, and the only one that found out about what I used to be."

"I… Um, why exactly would you show that to me? I mean, if it's so special…"

Vlad smiled sadly.

"Maybe you'll figure it out one day," Vlad said.

Vlad suddenly yawned, and Lovino grew concerned.

"You okay?" Lovino asked.

"Da," Vlad said. "I'm still drained from last night. I think I'll go get some rest."

Lovino nodded, before he turned back to his painting.

"I'll just…"

"You should finish it," Vlad said. "I think it's a form of therapy for you. And since you don't want to talk about it, you should find comfort in anything you can. Plus, I want to see what it looks like when it's finished."

"I bet it wouldn't be anything as good as what Feliciano could do," Lovino said, sulking.

"Why should it? Lovino, there are many different definitions of what 'good' is."

"But I always make mistakes…"

"Lovino, when it comes to art, there is no such thing as 'mistakes'. Those just add to the general character of the work of art. Take the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci got her smile wrong, and now it's the biggest reason why people are entranced by the portrait. There is no such thing as perfection. Any 'mistakes' you might make is only a small piece of your personality coming through."

"But Feli _never_ makes mistakes."

"Are you sure? Sometimes the artist perceives something as a mistake, but the people who see their art either don't notice it, or think that it's intentional. If you're so unsure about it, why don't you ask your brother?"

Lovino bit his lip before nodding. Vlad smiled.

"Have fun," Vlad said, before he left to return to his bedroom.

…

Matthew, Marcello and Jason watched as Heracles was curled up on the sofa, Feliciano leaning against him. Heracles was reading a book, while Feliciano was drawing something in a sketchpad.

"They look so comfy with each other," Matthew said. "It's like they've known each other for years."

"I know," Marcello said. "Is that what being a heartwing is all about?"

"There's something I don't get," Jason said. "How can both of them be guys, and still soulmates?"

"Because it's not your bodies that are connected," Heracles said, startling the three. "It's the souls. Only your body has a gender. Your soul doesn't. Besides, angels can't breed with other angels. So it doesn't really matter to us."

Marcello, Matthew and Jason's faces started to flush in embarrassment at being overheard. Feliciano looked up, blinking in confusion.

"Ve, did I miss something?" Feliciano asked.

Of course, it was a good thing that Feliciano tended to go into his own world whenever he was cooking or drawing, which meant that he hadn't heard a word they said.

"Never mind," Marcello said. "What are you drawing, fratello?"

"Ve, I'm just doodling."

"Hey, Feli," Matthew said. "Lovino hasn't been in the kitchen yet, has he?"

"What? Of course he has. He's been there for breakfast, lunch…"

"But not to _cook_."

"Oh. No, he hasn't."

"Do you think we should ask him to make lunch with us?"

"Ve, sure! It might help fratello."

"Alright. I'll go look for him, alright?"

"Okay!"

…

Lars, Bella and Henri were outside, simply enjoying the sun. They didn't know the others so well yet, so they kept their distance, especially since everyone was a little on edge.

"I think we've come at a bad time," Bella said, looking towards her brothers.

"Yeah," Henri sighed. "And last night we couldn't get to know them, since it was so late when we got here. And now…"

"They all look nice. But with tensions between them…"

"We shouldn't approach any of them in a group," Lars said. "We'd be better off trying to talk to them one by one."

Lars yawned, and Bella looked at him with worry.

"You should rest," Bella said. "You're used to sleeping during the day."

"And what about the two of you?" Lars asked.

"We'll be fine," Bella assured. "Please, go rest."

Lars nodded his head, standing up. He walked towards the house, and when he was almost there he passed Michelle, who was heading in the direction he came from.

Bella and Henri watched as the dark-skinned girl approached, a smile on her face and looking at Bella.

"Bonjour," the girl said. "Why are the two of you way out here?"

"We're not really comfortable with the others yet," Bella said. "Especially after what happened this morning."

"Oui, I know. I had guessed when I learned that he had been held captive by the Bad Touch Trio. For him to reveal that information too soon…"

Michelle sat down on the grass and smiled at Bella.

"The two of us are the only girls amongst all the boys," Michelle said. "We should stick together."

"I agree," Bella said. "Is there anything fun to do here?"

"Well, there's a lake, not too far from here. There's also an indoor pool, if you're interested."

"That sounds nice. But I don't have any swimsuits."

"You could borrow one of mine," Michelle said, standing up. She looked at Bella's chest for a moment. "I think we're about the same size. And if not, we can ask Feliks or Vlad to adjust it."

Henri blushed, knowing what type of size they were talking about. Michelle picked up on it and giggled.

"I think Feliks would have a set of trunks for you to wear, if you'd like to join us," Michelle said.

"I'll… I'll think about it."

…

Lars made his way up the stairs, intending to go to the bedroom that he had claimed for himself. On the way, he bumped into one of the others. It looked like the twin of the one who was responsible for the awkwardness that morning.

"Oh!" the smaller male said. "Sorry. Oh, we hadn't had a chance to introduce ourselves yet. I'm Matthew."

"Lars," he said.

"Um, so, where are you going?"

"Bed."

"Oh. Couldn't sleep last night?"

Lars sighed. He was starting to get a little annoyed with this boy.

"I'm used to sleeping during the day," Lars said, a little coldly.

"Oh," Matthew said. "Sorry. Didn't mean to stop you."

Matthew stepped aside, and Lars felt a little bad about being so impatient with the other. He would try to rectify it when he wasn't so tired.

He entered his room and went right to the bed. He must have been really tired, because the moment his head hit the pillow he was out like a light.

…

Gupta was reading a book, sprawled out on a couch. Hans was drawing something in a sketchbook. Gupta assumed that the child was drawing him, since he glanced over towards him every now and again.

He decided to test that theory out by shifting his position, sitting straight.

"Hey!" Hans exclaimed, glaring at Gupta. "I'm not finished yet!"

Gupta rolled his eyes, but he returned to his previous position. Hans nodded, satisfied, before he returned to his sketch.

"You know," Gupta said, "it's rude to do so without asking the person you're drawing first."

"Art doesn't need permission!" Hans exclaimed. "And it's not like it's breaking the law."

Gupta sighed.

"True," he said. "It's just some sort of ethics thing. People are so sensitive these days. Especially after the Outbreak."

"Why's that?"

"When it comes to artwork and photos, people are a bit more careful, in case vampires decide that they'd make good prey."

"Well, I'm not going to post this on the internet or anything."

"I know. I was just joking with you."

"You joke?"

Gupta chuckled, turning back to his book. Hans scrutinised him for a moment, before shrugging and returning to his drawing.

"People are really paranoid, you know?" Gupta said. "And vampires _have_ used social media to find their prey."

"I figured you were serious about that," Hans said. "Now hold still."

Gupta felt the corner of his mouth twitch, but it soon disappeared. He didn't want to upset the child again.

…

Lovino jumped when there was a knock on the door. He spun around to glare at whoever interrupted him, but the glare softened when he saw that it was Matthew.

"Wow," Matthew said, eyes trained on the painting. "That's good."

Lovino looked back towards the painting, tilting his head slightly. It was a little darker than intended, but perhaps…

"It's not finished," Lovino said. "What do you want?"

"Oh, we were wondering if you'd like to help us make lunch," Matthew said. "You know, get you back in the kitchen and all."

Lovino looked thoughtful for a moment, before he nodded his head.

"I think it might do me good," Lovino said. "Um, Matteo, about what I said this morning…"

"Al shouldn't have pushed you," Matthew said. "You would have told us if you were ready. And we… we don't think any less of you, you know. We're your friends."

"What about the new guys?"

"If they have a problem with you, then I will introduce them to my hockey stick."

Lovino chuckled, before turning back to his friend.

"I think they're right," Lovino said. "You are definitely a guardian angel."

Matthew beamed.

"I'm glad you think so," Matthew said. "I hope I can protect everyone. Come on. What would you like to make?"

"Pizza," Lovino said.

"Great. Your homemade pizzas are always the best."

" _Were_."

"Who knows? It might even be better than they used to be."

…

Feliks sighed in relief, putting the shirt that he had been working on aside.

He had always had a talent when it came to clothing, including the measurements of a person simply from sight. He had been making clothes for the Nephilim whenever he wasn't with them or Vlad, and he had just finished another shirt.

He looked over to the most important pile, the pile with the smallest clothes. Hans didn't have any with him, and at the moment was wearing some of Feliks's old clothes that had shrunk over the years.

One disadvantage of the spells he used.

He would need to give the clothes to the child, as well as the rest.

And he would also need to make new trench coats for Vlad. He had already gone through two of them in less than a week. With everything that's going on, it would probably be a good idea to have more, just in case.

…

Vlad's eyes snapped open when he sensed someone at the door. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

"Alfred," Vlad said, turning to regard the teen. "I'm tired. I'm not in the best mood right now."

"Um, yeah," Alfred said, fidgeting nervously. "I just… wanted to apologise for my behaviour. This morning, and ever since I met you. It was uncalled for, I know, and…"

Vlad held a hand up, silencing the American.

"Tell me something," Vlad said. "If Heracles hadn't told you that I used to be an angel, would you still have apologised to me?"

"W-wait, you know that…?"

"I can hear everything that's happening in this house," Vlad said. "It's annoying, to be honest." Vlad sighed. "I'm used to the kind of treatment you've been giving me. When people think I'm a vampire… They usually treat me similar to the way you did. Some even harsher. And when they learn that I'm a fallen angel… They usually treat me as a monster. As a stain. Very few that have learned of my true nature – humans, at least – have treated me with kindness. Some even treated me with sympathy when they found out about what happened."

As he spoke, he could see Alfred looking guiltier and guiltier. He sighed, turning to his side.

"I don't blame you," Vlad said. "But I'm not the one you should apologise to. You need to have a word with Lovino."

"Y-yeah," Alfred said. "I'll just… Do you know where he is?"

"Kitchen."

"Okay. Um, thanks. And sorry again."

"It's fine. Now, just let me _sleep_."

…

Lovino was kneading the dough, with Feliciano making the sauce and Matthew chopping the peppers. He was a little nervous about being in the kitchen again, afraid that he would mess something up. He was out of practice; for three months, he was more focused on getting food in his stomach, and not so much on making food.

Kneading dough – it was relaxing. If his thoughts drifted to unsavoury territories, then he could take out his frustration on the dough. And it wouldn't raise eyebrows.

"Alfred?" Matthew said, causing Lovino to turn to the door. "What are you doing here?"

Lovino scowled when he saw Alfred, and he turned a little more aggressive towards the dough.

"What do _you_ want?" Lovino snapped.

Alfred rubbed the back of his head, looking nervous.

"I'm sorry, about this morning," Alfred said. "I was just so angry about seeing you and Vlad in the same bed, and I also kind of wanted to know what you've been keeping from us… You should know that I'm not good with other people's feelings. That's what Mattie's for."

Lovino turned back to the dough, trying to hide his face.

"And now you know," Lovino said. "Happy?"

"No," Alfred said. "I didn't want to upset you. I guess Feliks was right. I _am_ an angel of war. Always trying to pick fights, not thinking before I act. I just… I just want to protect everyone."

"In other words, you want to be the hero," Lovino said. "Look, I know what you're like. It just came at a bad time. I… I accept your apology. But I'm still mad at you."

"Of course. You wouldn't be Lovi otherwise."

"Don't call me that. You should _know_ I hate that stupid nickname."

Matthew chuckled, turning to Feliciano.

"It's good to see that some things are back to normal," Matthew said.

"Si," Feliciano said, smiling as he looked at his brother.

"And Lovino," Alfred said, ignoring their two brothers, "I want you to know that what you said… You know, about the… We've been friends a long time. It doesn't matter. The vampires were the villains. They're to blame."

"S-si," Lovino said, avoiding the other's gaze. "You should apologise to Vlad too."

"I already did," Alfred said. "Now that I think about it, Vlad's more of an antihero."

"Si. He's really something special. It's just too bad about what's happened to him. But who knows? Maybe he will be saved as well."

 **So in this chapter, I also showed the other residents of the house, since I have a tendency to ignore them in favour of focusing on Vlad and Lovino.**

 **And I only realised it after I wrote it: the scene with Bella and Michelle. In Tangled Red Threads, BelSey was one of the pairings. So I guess it's a fun little Easter Egg. But it's** ** _not_** **a pairing here.**


	20. Chapter 19

**Thanks to Zaaze, NekoRyuuKo, ScandinavianTrash and Time Turner for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 19**

The only one that wasn't at the lunch table was Vlad, for obvious reasons. Everyone was enjoying the pizza that Feliciano, Matthew and Lovino had made.

Lovino felt a little more confident. Everyone complimented the pizza. And since no one found a flaw, Lovino could only assume that he had managed to do something right.

"This is awesome," Alfred said. "Thanks, Lovi."

"Don't call me that," Lovino snapped. "And Feli made the sauce."

"Ve, but it's _your_ recipe," Feliciano said.

"What?"

"Yeah. When it comes to pizza, you have the better sauce recipe, so I sometimes use yours. My sauce is better for pasta."

Lovino could feel his face heat up. Bella smiled.

"You look as red as the sauce," she teased.

"Shut up," Lovino said, embarrassed.

He suddenly felt a strange urge come over him. He wanted to take some pizza up to Vlad. He wanted to know what he had to say about it. He wanted to hear Vlad say that it was good.

"Like, someone should take a slice or two to Vlad," Feliks said, subtly looking in Lovino's direction.

"I'll go," Lovino said, going back to the kitchen to take an extra plate.

He put two slices on the plate before he started making his way upstairs, not noticing the knowing looks that Feliks, Michelle and Heracles sent his way.

He knocked before entering the room, and he smiled slightly when he saw Vlad asleep. The fallen angel groaned, before he opened his eyes.

"We made some pizza," Lovino said, gesturing towards the plate. "I helped."

Vlad chuckled, sitting upright.

"From what I heard, it was actually _your_ recipe," Vlad said.

As he moved closer, Lovino could feel his cheeks heat up. Vlad gratefully took the plate and took a bite from one of the slices.

"This is good," Vlad said. "It's been fifty years since I've tasted pizza this good. Actually, better than any I've had before."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Lovino mumbled, avoiding the other's eyes.

"No, I'm serious. Lovino, if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I don't stroke egos. I meant every word I said."

Lovino remained silent. He didn't quite understand why his face was so warm.

"Are we… are we going to have another lesson today?" Lovino asked.

"Well, I need to teach Lars and his siblings the basics," Vlad said. "And the rest of you… I think I'll give you your first flying lesson."

Lovino's head snapped towards Vlad, eyes wide.

"Really?" he asked. "We're going to learn how to fly?"

"Hover," Vlad corrected. "Before you can run, you need to walk, and before you walk you need to crawl. Baby steps. If you push too far, too fast, the consequences could be fatal."

"Got it. So, do you want me to tell those other three to come upstairs?"

"I would appreciate it."

…

Lars, Bella and Henri stood in the study, Vlad seated behind the desk. Vlad smiled amicably towards them.

"You're a little behind the others," Vlad said. "I'd need to teach the three of you how to summon your wings."

"We really get wings?" Henri asked, in awe.

"Of course. What's the one thing people usually noticed about angels?"

"Their wings," Lars said simply.

"Exactly. Now, there's also something I should say before we could begin. You need to master summoning and retracting them at will. You'd need to do that a few times. If you tried to fly before you've mastered that, then there's a chance that the wings could disappear mid-flight, which could lead to serious injury or death."

Bella and Henri looked nervous, and they nodded their heads in understanding.

"Alright," Vlad said. "Oh, and before I forget – again – you'd need to exercise it by repeatedly summoning and retracting. If you don't summon them, your back will start to itch really badly. I've seen someone break their skin in their efforts to scratch the itch away. I was caught up with something else that day, so I didn't notice until it was too late. And you'd need to remember to retract them as well. If you keep them out too long, you could develop a rash. Go ask Alfred: he has first-hand experience."

"Which one's that?" Bella asked.

"The one that likes the taste of his foot."

The siblings nodded their heads in understanding, knowing exactly who Vlad was referring to.

"So how do we go about this?" Lars asked.

"You'll need to use your emotions," Vlad said. "If you want, you could do this individually. Actually, it might be easier, since it would give me a clue about your dominant emotion. What do you say?"

The siblings exchanged a look, before Lars shrugged, stepping forwards.

"I'll call you two when I'm finished," Lars said.

Bella and Henri exchanged a look, before they nodded.

"Alright," Bella said. "Good luck."

The younger two siblings turned and left, and Vlad smiled encouragingly at Lars.

"Let's get started then," Vlad said.

…

"Dude," Alfred said, staring at the room in Feliks's basement, "why didn't you say you had something like this earlier?"

"Like, I'm surprised you didn't like discover this sooner," Feliks said.

Simply put, it was a game room, with a large TV, comfy seats that ranged from bean bags to couches, and video games from every era.

"Like, I get bored sometimes," Feliks said, shrugging.

"Dude, this is awesome!" Alfred said, running towards the TV, checking the consoles. "I'm in gaming heaven!"

"This should keep you busy," Feliks muttered, leaving Alfred to his own devices.

…

Jason was outside, admiring Feliks's garden. It wasn't too controlled – wild and free, but still showing signs that it was done purposely.

He had always enjoyed gardening, something that only his brothers and Marcello were aware of. And if anyone confronted him about it, he would deny it furiously. Although, he would probably be forced to reveal that side to Feliks when he asked the other if he could be permitted to tend to the garden.

He looked around, and frowned when he saw some dead plants. He walked closer, and on the ground in the middle of the dead plants was a footprint. The print showed that whoever it was had been barefooted when he stepped there.

Jason was suddenly aware of the sensation of being watched, and he shuddered. He looked around, but could see no one.

He shook his head, deciding that he would go back inside. He threw the footprint one last look, before he went back inside. He decided to keep the footprint to himself. It was probably just one of the others'.

…

The rest of the day passed smoothly, flowing into night. As soon as the sun had completely disappeared, Vlad led the Nephilim outside, Feliks, Michelle and Heracles following.

"Alright," Vlad said. He turned to Lars and his siblings. "For now, the three of you should listen. You're not ready to actually try this yet." He turned back to regard everyone as a whole. "Alright, and as for the rest of you, you can start by drawing out your wings."

Vlad was quiet for a moment as each of the Nephilim drew their wings out. Some of them worked faster than others, and Alfred was a little hesitant, seeing as he still had a bit of a rash.

"Alright," Vlad said, as soon as everyone had finished. "Now, let's start by lightly moving them up and down, and…"

Vlad paused, his body tensed. He sniffed the air a few times, a frown crossing his face.

"Like, what's wrong?" Feliks asked from the side where he, Heracles and Michelle were watching.

"I smell someone," Vlad said. "But I can't quite pinpoint what the species is. Just that it isn't human or Nephilim."

Everyone grew tense now, looking around.

Suddenly a blurred shape approached Vlad, and he yelped when he was tackled. All they could make out at first were the white wings.

"Brother!" a small voice shouted.

"Alexandru?!" Vlad exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Now that the shock wore off, they could see what was essentially a miniature version of Vlad, hugging him around the waist. Alexandru looked up, beaming at Vlad.

"I was finally allowed to see you again," Alexandru said, hugging him tighter. "So I came here. And I heard you were training Nephilim again, so I wanted to see them too."

Vlad sighed, placing his hand on the younger's head. Alexandru turned to regard the Nephilim, though his expression turned a little perplexed when his eyes fell on Hans, before brightening significantly.

"Look, look!" Alexandru said, separating from Vlad and going closer to Hans, who took a nervous step back. "Vlad, do you see?"

Vlad looked between the two children, his jaw hanging open. Heracles and Feliks also had expressions of surprise.

"What is it?" Hans asked nervously.

"Sorry," Vlad said, shaking himself out of his stupor. "Alexandru is an angel of childhood – which is why he's so young – and it's _very_ rare for one of them to find their heartwing."

Everyone's eyes widened and Alexandru came to a stop in front of Hans.

"Hi," Alexandru said. "I'm Alexandru, but I guess you can call me Alex. What's your name?"

"H-Hans," the Austrian boy said, a little taken aback by the situation.

Alexandru grabbed Hans's hand and started tugging, fluttering his wings. Hans looked afraid.

"Alex!" Vlad snapped, and startled Alexandru turned to look at his brother. "I haven't taught him how to fly yet. I was just about to teach him how to hover."

"Oh," Alexandru said, looking disheartened. He released Hans's hand, who took a few steps back. "Then… I guess I'll come back when you've taught him a little more, huh?"

"You know you can't," Vlad sighed.

"Actually, I think they'll let me now," Alexandru said. "I mean, they can't keep me away from my heartwing."

"True…"

Alexandru moved away from Hans and back to Vlad.

"We only have an hour together," Alexandru said. "Why don't we spend it together?"

Vlad glanced towards the Nephilim before he sighed, crouching down to Alexandru's level.

"I need to teach them," Vlad said.

"Dude," Alfred said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "If you want to spend some time with your brother, we could always do this later."

Everyone looked towards Alfred with expressions of shock on their faces. Vlad gave a small smile.

"Is this alright with the rest of you?" Vlad asked.

The others all nodded their heads, and Vlad turned back to his brother.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go."

Alexandru beamed, and Vlad summoned his own wings. Before any of the others were aware of what was happening, the two brothers took to the sky, summoning a small gust of wind.

"Is anyone else a little confused?" Jason asked.

"If Vlad's a vampire," Matthew said, "then why is his brother an angel?"

"Because technically speaking, Vlad _isn't_ a vampire," Lovino said. "He's a fallen angel."

Everyone turned to Lovino in surprise, although Alfred, Feliciano and Lars didn't look so surprised.

"Technically pushed and dragged," Heracles said.

"Nine thousand years ago," Feliks said. "And part of his punishment is that he can't see his brother that often. Only for short times."

"That sucks," Alfred said, looking towards Matthew and Jason.

"How did he fall?" Matthew asked.

"He was tricked by a demon," Lovino said. "And then the bastard had to take it even farther by turning him into something like a vampire."

"That's why he knows all this," Marcello said. "Because he knows what it's like to be an angel."

"Come on," Lars said. "Let's go back inside. I don't feel alright being out in the open like this."

The others all agreed, heading inside the house. The last to enter was Hans, who glanced towards the sky. He frowned, before going to find Heracles.

"Wait," Hans said. "If I'm his heartwing, how's it going to work?"

…

They had travelled as much as they could, and it had taken some time, but the vampires had reached their destination easily enough.

Dragon Tower, the centre of operations of the Dragon Clan, led by Vampire Lord Yao Wang. If anyone could aid them against the vampire with the silver blood, then it was him.

However, they weren't the only ones that came to see Lord Wang. Five other vampires came to see him, and the receptionist, a young Asian girl, wasn't keen on letting them in.

"Come on," one of them said. "This is kind of important."

"A coven of vampires of great renown appears in our abode," the girl said. "And you expect me to let you in to see my master? There is no way I will allow it."

"Excuse me," Arthur interrupted, stepping closer. "Could you perhaps send Leon down?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, scanning the large group of vampires.

"The Kirkland Brothers and the Bad Touch Trio," she said. "I didn't know you were friends."

"We're not," Antonio said. "But we have a mutual interest."

"And that would be?"

"Could we rather discuss this with Leon?" Arthur asked.

The girl scrutinised him for a moment before turning around, disappearing through a door behind the desk.

The five vampires that had been there first turned to regard the other seven.

"The Kirkland Brothers and the Bad Touch Trio?" one said in a deadpan tone. "Given the history of Arthur Kirkland and Antonio Carriedo, I'm surprised to see your groups together."

"It's a _temporary_ truce," Arthur said, eying Antonio before turning back to the others. "She said that you are of renown as well."

"The Nordic Five. I am Lukas Bondevik, and these are Mathias Kohler, Emil Steilson, Berwald Oxensternia and Tino Väinämöinen. Who is this person called 'Leon'?"

"It's a member of the Dragon Clan. He was sired by both Yao and myself. I fed from him, and he managed to escape, only to run into Yao, who decided to sire him."

"You managed to lose your prey?" Antonio asked, amused.

"Hey, he had fireworks in his pocket! Have you ever had a firework in the face? Anyway, Yao and I had a bit of a… debate regarding our shared sire. Long story short, Yao won."

"Great," Francis sighed. "And with a history like that, we're hoping that Lord Wang could help us?"

"I call him by his first name, don't I? Leon isn't the extent of our relationship. Advantage of being a pirate."

"He gave him opium," Patrick said, a little annoyed.

"Yes."

"So what brings you here?" Will asked, looking at the Nordics.

"We've had our prey stolen from us by an unusual vampire," Lukas said. "One with silver blood."

The group of seven stared in shock.

"No way," Gilbert said. " _Our_ prey had been stolen by someone with silver blood as well. Romanian?"

"We think so," Mathias said. "He had a firebird with him."

"Well, he was friends with angels of death," Alistair said. "They really messed us up."

"He mentioned that he had made enemies with demons," Lukas said.

"He also said he plays on the same level as them, along with angels," Francis said.

"He's also a wolfwalker," Gilbert said.

"Fire magic?" Lukas asked.

"Yes," Arthur said.

They were silent for a moment.

"Looks like we ran into the same asshole," Mathias said. "I think we can benefit from working together."

"That might be a good idea," Arthur said. "There's also one other thing about him that we should mention."

"He can't die," Tino said. "He had a spear of ice straight through his heart, but he's still alive."

"We impaled him as well," Alistair said. "And that's why we're here."

"An ice spear?" Arthur asked, looking at the Nordics. "And which of you created it?"

"I did," Lukas said.

Arthur smirked.

"Always nice to see another magic user," Arthur said.

They grew quiet when the girl returned, accompanied by a young man around her age. He eyed Arthur, who smirked. Everyone else assumed that this was Leon.

"What are you doing here?" Leon asked.

"It would seem that there are _three_ covens that have run into the same vampire," Arthur said. "A vampire that refuses to feed, that claims to have sired Dracula, that is apparently older than even your master, that is a magic user, that has wings."

"And who's a wolfwalker," Gilbert added.

"He also has some powerful allies," Arthur continued. "Angels of death among them. I'm sure you could see the problem with someone like that, especially since he seems to be against every other vampire."

Leon stared at him blankly before closing his eyes, letting out a sigh as well.

"I suppose you have a point," Leon said. "Is he really that strong?"

"He managed to hold his own against seven vampires," Alistair said. "He also didn't die after being staked."

Leon's eyes snapped open, and he turned to Arthur.

"I suppose I can allow you to see my master," Leon said. "But only one from each coven, understand?"

"Perfectly," Arthur said, stepping forward.

Antonio and Mathias also stepped forward, and the trio followed the Asian vampire to the top of the building. The elevator ride was a little uncomfortable, since there were vampires from four different covens, but they managed to arrive without incident.

Yao had taken an office and decorated it quite lavishly, assuming the role of a Chinese emperor. There was smoke hanging in the air, and they could see the source from a long pipe in Yao's hand.

"Opium," Yao said.

"So I can smell," Mathias muttered.

"He's referring to me," Arthur sighed. "Lord Yao, we require your assistance in dealing with a renegade."

"A single renegade?" Yao asked. "Don't tell me you've become soft."

"He's strong."

"What is he called?"

"We don't know. He refused to tell his name."

"Can you tell me something unique about him?"

"Yes. He has silver blood."

Yao's expression hardened, and he took a drag of his pipe.

"There's only one vampire that fits that criteria," Yao said. "Silverblood, The Weeping Angel, The Trickster… These are all names he is known by. His true name is Vlad Lupenesku. He was my sire."

 **Strange how things work out. I get a question regarding Moldova, and the very next chapter shows how he gets involved. The same happened with Ve, We Totally Fooled you when someone asked about Lithuania's fate right before I published that particular chapter. And these are pre-written chapters.**

 **And this is the first time I get to update a story on my birthday. You'll also notice that this is the date in the prologue. So if there's a vampire outbreak… my bad.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Thanks to RinKagamine002, Zaaze, Time Turner, ScandinavianTrash, Mehloveshorror, cherryfeather101, Adorable Reader, Skye Phoenix Dove, The Forgotten Traveller, Eternal Nexus Warrior and nicolai87 for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 20**

Mathias, Arthur and Antonio stared at Yao in astonishment. The vampire they had met… had sired a _Lord_? And not just any Lord, but Lord _Yao_ , probably the oldest Lord still around.

"Does that mean that you won't help us deal with him?" Arthur asked.

"On the contrary," Yao said. "There is no love between my sire and I. In fact, I have tried for thousands of years myself to destroy him, without success. Not only is he elusive, he's also incredibly hard to kill."

"We noticed," Arthur said, exchanging a glance with Antonio.

"You referred to him as a renegade," Yao said. "What made you say that?"

"He stole our prey," Mathias said. "Without any intention to feed from them."

"Exactly," Antonio said. "The most delicious blood I've ever experienced, snatched away. We'd be happy to share with you," he added hurriedly.

Yao looked thoughtful.

"He doesn't really get close to a lot of humans," Yao explained. "The most delicious blood, you say?"

The three nodded their heads.

"I'd say you are hunting half-breeds," Yao said. "Their blood has always been more appealing to vampires. Some supernatural creatures can procreate with humans. Vampires can't do it, so half-breeds rarely cross our minds. Mermaids, demons, angels…"

"I think they're half angel," Arthur said. "He seemed particularly close to them, given the three angels of death that came to his aid."

"It's possible," Yao mused. "I have a contact in the underworld. If you're willing to wait, I can find out more about Vlad and his little friends."

"By all means," Arthur said. "I don't care how long it takes. Just as long as the bastard is dead."

Yao nodded his head.

"Very well," Yao said. "I will inform you if I've gotten in contact with my contact. Until then, you and your covens are more than welcome in this tower. Just keep the fighting to a minimum. But that won't be a problem, will it? We all have a common goal, after all."

The three vampires bowed their heads in respect.

"Thank you, Lord Yao," the three said simultaneously.

…

When the hour was nearly over, Vlad and Alexandru returned. As soon as their feet touched the ground, Alexandru threw his arms around Vlad's waist. The elder smiled, before he returned the hug.

"I wish I didn't have to leave," Alexandru said. "I wish I could stay with you."

"I know," Vlad sighed. "Believe me, I wish the same as well. But this is my punishment, you know that."

"But still…"

"Like you said, they're probably going to allow you to see me more often because of your heartwing. I just feel bad that you hadn't really gotten a chance to know him better."

"That's okay. You still have one more Nephilim to find, right? I'll come when you're tracking him down."

Vlad chuckled, ruffling his brother's hair. Alexandru immediately grew concerned.

"I didn't mean that…" Alexandru began, but Vlad stopped him.

"It's alright," he said. "You thought you'd never find your heartwing. I understand. I don't blame you for wanting to spend as much time as possible with him."

Alexandru beamed, before he tightly hugged his brother one more time.

"I'll come visit again as soon as I can," Alexandru said. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Vlad whispered.

Alexandru pulled away, and Vlad watched as he backed up a little. He waved one last time, before he spread his wings and launched himself into the sky.

Vlad smiled, turning to head back inside before he froze. He caught the scent of something. It was smoky, and he would have thought that it was Feliks, but it was just a little bit off. There was old blood mixed with it.

Vlad followed the scent, going into the treeline and heading away from the house. It could have been nothing, but it wouldn't hurt to be sure.

As he went farther away from the others, he couldn't help but sense a growing feeling of dread. There was something seriously wrong.

And then the scent just disappeared.

Vlad looked around, trying to find the scent again, but without any luck. Growling in frustration, he started to make his way back to the house, trying to get out of the open as soon as possible.

He froze when he heard a car through, and he cautiously made his way to the path. He smiled when he recognised the driver, who recognised him as well, since he stopped and stepped out of the car.

"Vlad! I was on my way to Feliks's house. How have you been?"

"Raj!" Vlad said in pleasant surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I ran into Feliks and the Nephilim a few days ago," Raj said. "I was going to the coast, but then I started thinking that I hadn't seen you in a long time, and you're busy with important work. I also wanted to see your relationship with that Italian Nephilim."

"Feliks told you, didn't he?"

"That's right. Well?"

"Sure. But could you do me a favour first?"

"Oh?"

"I smelled something strange, but I seemed to have lost the scent. Can you smell something?"

Raj frowned, opening his mouth. His frown deepened.

"I don't really smell anything strange," Raj said. "Some remnants of smoke, but that could be Feliks, and a little blood, but it's not on the ground, nor is it on a body. Then I smell dead plants, but that's it."

"Dead plants?" Vlad asked. "Can you tell me where?"

"Smells like it's coming from the garden."

Vlad took off, and he could hear Raj saying that he would continue on towards the house. Vlad wasn't too concerned with that at the moment.

He finally reached the garden, and he could smell the scent of dead plants as well. He could also smell that the scent of smoke and blood had returned.

He then picked up another scent. One that was right behind him.

He spun around, and immediately was slammed against a nearby tree, a hand clamped on his mouth.

"No need to alert anyone," a voice hissed. "I am not here as your enemy. I especially don't want to alert Heracles. Another fallen angel could complicate things."

Vlad narrowed his eyes. While not part of _his_ circle, a demon so close to a group of Nephilim was _not_ a good sign.

The demon removed his hand, and Vlad snarled.

"What are you doing here, Nikolai?" Vlad asked.

"Yao Wang has enquired about you in the underworld," Nikolai said. "Ivan would hear about what you've been up to with the Nephilim."

Vlad's eyes widened, and he could feel the fear grow.

"If you were smart, you'd leave this place immediately," Nikolai continued.

Vlad shook his head and glared.

"How do I know that this isn't some trick?" Vlad said. "No matter what, a demon could never be trusted. Even if you aren't friends with Ivan, who's to say that you're not helping him?"

Nikolai stared at him for a moment before he smirked.

"I'm pleased to see that you haven't thrown caution to the wind," Nikolai said. "Perhaps that is why you were able to resist for nine thousand years. Those of us that became demons _after_ the Fall… Believe it or not, you actually have our respect. But I'm not helping Ivan. He doesn't realise that your blood will become useless if you become a demon."

"What?" Vlad asked.

"The thing that makes the blood of life work is the light and life inside of you. Since you hadn't abandoned it, your ability still works. But if you were to become a demon, then your blood would destroy. That's not exactly something that we would want. Of course, trying to convince Ivan of anything is a useless endeavour."

Vlad stared at the demon for a moment.

"What do you want?" he asked. "Demons don't do anything unless they have an ulterior motive or two."

Nikolai removed a vial from his coat, and Vlad eyed it dubiously.

"I am planning on overthrowing someone else for power," Nikolai explained. "To increase my chances of success, I would like to have some of your blood, willingly given."

"And why?" Vlad asked. "You haven't given me enough information that would be worth my blood."

"Advice to leave this place."

"I can't do that."

"Are the Nephilim's lives really that important?"

Vlad remained silent, and Nikolai sighed.

"Fine then," he said. "At the very least, set up wards around this place. You don't want to be caught unawares, and I would suggest you keep those pets of yours inside. We demons enjoy their company. They're a lot easier to corrupt than angels, and when they turn, they're among the most powerful and the wildest. They're easy to control, so they make excellent minions. How's that for advice?"

"Who do you want to overthrow?" Vlad asked.

"Belaira."

Vlad stared at him for a moment, before he sighed.

"Does Ivan _know_ I'm here?" Vlad asked.

"No, but I think one of his underlings might. I'm not the first demon to pass through here recently."

Vlad remembered the other scent and shuddered. It was exactly what he hoped it wouldn't be.

"His underlings are very independent when they're not following his orders," Nikolai said. "Except for Natalya, unless he finds out that one of them knows and orders them to tell him, they wouldn't say a thing."

"I've never had a _civil_ meeting with them since the Fall, so I wouldn't know," Vlad sighed.

Vlad gestured with his hand for Nikolai to give the vial, and the other did so without complaint. Vlad popped it open with one hand, and he bit onto the other hand's thumb, allowing blood to flow. He allowed it to pour into the vial, filling it up, before handing it back to Nikolai, placing his thumb in his mouth to clean away the blood.

Nikolai examined the silver liquid before he sealed it. He smirked as he put it away.

"Thank you very much," Nikolai said. "I hope you heed my warning. Keep those kiddies safe, because any one of us would like to get our hands on them."

Vlad glared as the other disappeared. Yao had enquired about him, and it was only a matter of time before word reached Ivan.

He would need to protect those under his care.

He looked around again, sniffing the air just to be sure. He couldn't risk for a demon to be in the vicinity. After he failed to pick up anything else he made his way to the house, plastering a smile on his face.

He found the others in the living room, trying to ask Raj about why he was there and what had happened to him since he last saw them. Gupta, Heracles, Lars, Henri and Bella didn't participate, since it was their first time meeting Raj.

They all became silent when they noticed Vlad's arrival.

"Sweet," Alfred said. "So, can we go back to training?"

"There are a few things I'd like to discuss first," Vlad said. "About what I really am. I already know that Lars, Feliciano and Alfred knew before my brother arrived, and I told Lovino earlier today."

The three in question looked surprised, and Feliks looked a little sheepish.

"So I guess you heard?" Heracles said.

"Da," Vlad said. "Loud and clear. And the rest of you? How do _you_ feel about all of this?"

"I suspected," Matthew said. "I mean, that would explain why you're the best qualified to teach us all of this."

"And that would explain why you have healing blood," Henri said.

"And they told us that it wasn't your fault," Marcello said. "That you were tricked."

"And we already accepted you when we thought you were a vampire," Jason said, before he glanced towards Alfred. "Well, _most_ of us."

"It doesn't really make a difference," Bella said. "You're still Vlad, and you're still the one that protected us and taught us."

Vlad smiled, pleased to see that the others didn't hate him. He then turned to Heracles.

"I need to have a word with you," he said, before turning to Raj. "You too."

Heracles and Raj exchanged a look before they followed Vlad out of the room.

Vlad led them to the kitchen, and he closed the door, locking it with an enchantment that would prevent eavesdropping.

"What's going on?" Heracles asked.

"I've had a brief discussion with Nicolai Arlofsky," Vlad said.

"What? A demon? _Here_?"

"Da." He turned to Raj. "That's the scent I smelled."

"Then it wasn't a very strong demon," Raj said.

"But, Nikolai…" Heracles started.

"It wasn't him I smelled. But he knew where to find me. But I can't help but wonder who the other demon was, and if he was working for someone. And now we have a problem."

"You think it's Ivan?" Raj asked.

"According to Nikolai, he doesn't know I'm here, or what I've been doing. But that can change. Yao Wang has enquired about me in the underworld, and at least one of them might know what I've been up to. Information is valuable, so everyone always makes sure to have enough of it."

"What do you want us for?" Heracles asked.

"I'll continue with my instruction of the Nephilim. We can't let them worry. Raj, you're the only other person besides me who has a strong sense of smell. I want you to see if you can smell them, and subtly notify me. Heracles, I know this is going to be uncomfortable for the two of us, but I need you to turn this place into sacred ground."

"Is it worth going to such lengths?"

"You know what demons do to Nephilim. Would you want Feliciano to suffer that fate? And let's not forget what they do to the heartwings."

"Alright. I'm not going to like it, but I'll do it."

"Good. Thank you. Now I'm sure that you two know not to inform the Nephilim of this?"

"That would explain the lock," Raj said. "But what about Feliks and Michelle?"

"We can tell them later, when the Nephilim aren't within earshot."

"Is it a good idea to keep this from them?" Heracles asked.

"I've seen it happen before. Once Nephilim learn that demons might be after them, they become increasingly paranoid and it becomes easier for them to go the other way. They should be kept in the dark, at least until they're out of the danger zone."

"I see. Alright then. Let's go. I think they're suspicious."

"They need to learn to fly," Vlad muttered. "If only there was a way to speed up the training."

"Daytime," Heracles said. "If you could teach them during the daytime…"

"Flying will be difficult for me. I _could_ teach them about their individual abilities, though…"

"And give them some combat training."

"Yes. That's important. We need to teach them how to fight. How to defend themselves."

…

The Nordics were relaxing in a room that Yao's coven had provided. There was a lot of fine wine, excellent books, and TV. Lukas was busying himself with one of the books about the supernatural realm.

They all turned to the door when someone smartly knocked on it, and it opened a moment later to reveal a serious-looking woman.

"Lord Yao has requested your presence," she said. "All of you."

They nodded, and silently followed after her. She led them towards a large room that might have been a conference room at some point, except now there were many couches and cushions. The Kirklands and Bad Touch Trio had also been told to come.

Mathias had felt just a little smug when he noticed that his was the largest coven, at least until everyone in Yao's coven joined them as well. That made the Dragon Clan nine vampires strong.

Sitting next to Yao at the head was a young man that appeared to be European. Antonio seemed to recognise him right away.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Antonio asked.

"Hello, Antonio," the stranger said. "It's been a while."

"You know him?" Francis enquired.

"Si. He was my sire. But… I thought you died."

"In a way, I did," the stranger said. "I had arrived in purgatory, where a demon decided to make me an honorary member of its kind."

"Miguel's basically a messenger," Yao said. "But still extremely powerful. Impossible to kill now."

"Like _Vlad_?" Arthur asked.

Miguel breathed deeply, ending in a sigh.

"There is one significant difference between Vlad Lupenesku and every other vampire in the world," Miguel said. "And it's what makes him so dangerous."

"Is it the silver blood?" Gilbert asked.

"That's part of it. The difference between us and Vlad is that we were all once human."

The others took a moment to process this, and once they did, they all looked at him with alarm.

"Hold on," Gilbert said, "are you saying that he's never been human?"

"Then," Alistair said, "what _was_ he?"

"Demons are one corner of a triangle," Miguel said. "Can you tell me what the other two corners are?"

"I can think of only one that would be connected with demons," Lukas said. "Angels. But, I thought they were described as two sides of the same coin?"

"They _would_ be, if there wasn't an in-between state. Fallen angels."

"What does this have to do with Vlad?" Mathias asked.

"Because _Vlad_ is a fallen angel," Yao said.

"Exactly," Miguel said. "And not just any fallen angel. He possesses the blood of life. Its healing properties are only ineffective against vampires."

"I won't say that," Antonio said. "His blood burns the skin of a vampire that touches it. It's toxic."

"Do you want to know why?"

"You're treating this too much like a game for my tastes," Arthur said.

"Fine. Vampires are, in a way, inferior to him. It's because we have _him_ to thank for our very existence. We've always learned that the original vampire had been created by demons. That's only partly true. The venom was provided by a demon. But the blood had been provided by an angel."

"A dual sire!" Arthur exclaimed, looking towards Leon. "The first vampire had _two_ sires. And one of them was Vlad?!"

"Yes. Among those of us who know, Vlad isn't a vampire lord. He is the Vampire King."

 **Nikolai is NyoBelarus.**

 **Also, I'm working on short stories that are meant to be horror/thriller. It's for Creative Writing. I was thinking about writing 13, each with a separate theme/trope. So far, I have a stalker, cannibalism/forced autocannibalism, an immortal that needs to kill in order to remain immortal, and others I have in mind are enfant terrible, seeing the last moments of someone else's life, a folie à plusiers, puppetmaster that uses humans as puppets, a combination of the afterlife express and barred from the afterlife, one where someone is watching a horror movie and suddenly fiction becomes reality (inspired by my sister who had a Friday the 13** **th** **marathon on a farm, in a dark tool shed, with only two friends with her and the main house far from sight), and an urban legend coming alive. That makes ten, which means I need three. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or could recommend anime/books/movies that contain what I still need?**


	22. Chapter 21

**Thanks to Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, TheClockworkStarling, NekoRyuuKo, PorcelenaRota, Adorable Reader, ScandinavianTrash and KathWood67 for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 21**

The vampires were silent as they pondered the information. Miguel smirked lazily, lounging in his seat. It was a lot to take in, and the vampires would have to decide whether or not they would cross that line.

Finally Arthur sighed, looking between his brothers, before he turned to Yao.

"It doesn't matter whether he's the Vampire 'King' or not," Arthur said. "He should still be taken care of."

"I agree," Mathias said. "And just think about the power his defeat could give us."

"I agree as well," Antonio said. "Besides, we want our pet back."

Yao looked over the other vampires before turning to Miguel, who shrugged.

"Do as you will," Miguel said. "But, if you are sure about defeating him, you'll need to have a battlefield of your choosing. And you must ensure that none of his friends could come to his aid. And you must ensure that you would be able to lure him to your location."

"And how do we go about doing _that_?" Yao asked.

Miguel smirked.

"As it so happens, I know just the way to do that."

…

Lars watched as the others were flying, while he, Bella and Henri still had to practice summoning and retracting their wings. The others were a little clumsy, but it looked like fun.

He observed his siblings' wings every time they came out, betraying their eagerness to join the others in the air. But Vlad kept a close eye, ensuring that they didn't do that.

Lars was very observant, and he knew how to be discreet in his observations. And while he was watching the others who were flying, he was also watching Heracles, Raj, Feliks and Michelle.

Heracles looked as though he was wandering around, completely bored. But even though it was dark, Lars could see the other's mouth moving. And occasionally, Vlad would flinch, and Heracles would pause in his muttering whenever Vlad flinched. Lars tried to read the other's lips, but the darkness made it difficult, and it didn't take him too long to realise that the other was muttering in another language.

As for the other three, they were discussing something a distance away. Raj was the one doing most of the talking, and whenever he wasn't speaking, his mouth would remain agape.

He knew that Raj was a naga – a snake creature – and snakes used their tongues to smell. Lars couldn't help but feel that Raj was sniffing the air.

Vlad pretended to be oblivious to any strange behaviour, but Lars could see clearly that the other was hiding something. He kept his gaze focused on the flying teens, but occasionally would glance towards Lars and his siblings.

Lars thanked his experience hunting vampires for his night vision.

He was distracted when there was a loud thud, and Henri and Bella flinched. He looked to see two figures falling to the ground, and Vlad rushed to catch them.

That was an interesting time to learn that Vlad had telekinesis.

Apparently, Alfred and Jason had collided with each other and were sent to the ground. The two brothers had retracted their wings and were rubbing their heads.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Vlad said.

He beckoned for the others to come down, and Lars saw how they each landed, though with a bit of difficulty.

"We'll pick this up again tomorrow," Vlad said, before he turned towards Lars and his siblings. "Then maybe you three could join them."

After seeing the collision, Bella and Henri didn't look so sure anymore.

"Get some sleep," Vlad said. "I want to see each of you tomorrow. We're going to work on some individual abilities, alright?"

There was a general murmur of consent, but also relief and disappointment. Vlad turned back to the two injured brothers, a look of concern on his face.

"Are you two going to be okay?" he asked.

"Don't worry about them," Matthew said, having gone closer to check on his brothers as well. "They have pretty hard heads."

"I'm going to smack you for that," Jason said.

"Take a hot bath and put some ice on your heads," Vlad said. "It seems that that's the point of impact. I also need to check your ribs."

"Dude we're fine," Alfred said, before wincing when Matthew poked him in the ribs. "Um, on second thought…"

Vlad sighed.

"Take off your shirts so that I can take a closer look," Vlad said.

"Dude, you won't see anything," Alfred argued. "It's dark out."

Vlad rolled his eyes, and even Lars had to smirk.

"Stop being stubborn and just do as he says," Lovino snapped.

"You know, if Lovino's lecturing you about being stubborn, then you _know_ you're being stubborn," Matthew said, a smile on his face.

Lovino glared at Matthew, and most of the others burst out into laughter. Even Vlad had to crack a smile. Alfred and Jason exchanged a look, before they both removed their shirts.

"Thank you," Vlad said, smirking with an amused glint in his eyes.

Alfred looked away when Vlad started poking and prodding, and Lovino also looked away, an annoyed expression on his face. Feliks and Michelle were smirking in amusement, and Raj pointedly had his attention somewhere else. Heracles was still wandering around, only briefly acknowledging Feliciano when he went towards him.

Lars had a feeling that the non-Nephilim were hiding something from them. He couldn't think of a reason why, though. Unless something had happened in the meantime.

Lars was distracted by his thoughts when he heard a hiss of pain. Vlad was poking a spot, a frown on his face as Alfred's own was twisted in pain.

"I don't feel a fracture," Vlad said. "I think it's just bruising. Still, I should probably heal it."

Vlad bit his finger, before bringing it to Alfred's mouth.

"Suck," Vlad instructed.

"What?" Alfred asked, looking green. "Dude, there's no way I'm sucking your blood."

"Well, if you had broken skin, I wouldn't need to do it this way. But since you didn't…"

"Dude, that's gross."

"Actually, it doesn't taste like blood at all," Henri interrupted. "It tastes almost like syrup."

Lars glanced over towards Henri. He didn't realise that his little brother was aware of having to ingest Vlad's blood when the other was reviving him. And now that he mentioned it, the blood was a different colour, so perhaps it was possible that the taste was different as well.

Alfred still looked doubtful, but he obediently opened his mouth to allow Vlad to insert his bleeding finger. Alfred's eyes widened as Vlad pulled his finger away.

"Huh," Alfred said. "It's not that bad."

Vlad smirked, before turning to Jason and repeating the process.

"I think we should go inside now," Heracles said, for the first time approaching the group. "It's past midnight, and you all should get some sleep."

"That's a good idea," Vlad said. "Come on everybody. Inside you go."

The group trailed inside, and Lars waited until he could catch a hold of Vlad before dragging him to the side. Vlad didn't seem surprised, and sighed in annoyance.

"You may be good at keeping your thoughts out of your facial expressions," Vlad said, "but they're still very loud. You need to work on that."

"You could hear my thoughts?" Lars asked.

Vlad rolled his eyes, before pulling himself free from the taller male.

"I'm a contact telepath," Vlad said. "If someone touches me with a particularly loud thought, then I can't help but hear it. Or see it, for that matter. It's like how you can't help hearing someone in the same room scream or a sudden flash of light in the darkness."

"I see," Lars said. "Then I suppose you already know what I want to ask you."

"Da," Vlad said. "And _if_ we were hiding something, at this point in time, you have to trust that we're doing it for a good reason. Understand?"

"I suppose," Lars said. "So, this heartwing deal I've heard about…"

Vlad cocked an eyebrow, a smirk slowly blooming on his face.

"If you want to know if you're someone's heartwing," Vlad said, "then I suppose you'll need to wait a while. Odds are, angels without heartwings are going to be popping in to see for themselves."

"That's not what I wanted to ask," Lars said.

Vlad frowned in confusion, and Lars didn't know how to phrase his question, so he touched the other's shoulder to convey his thought. Vlad's eyes widened slightly in realisation, and he sighed.

"Da," he said. "But please, don't tell anyone else."

Lars smirked, before nodding his head. He had his suspicions and just wanted to make sure about it. He turned to head inside, and he pretended not to notice as Vlad scanned the area, as though searching for something, or expecting to see something.

Or some _one_.

…

Miguel smirked, walking to the room Yao had so _generously_ offered to him. The vampires were so gullible. He couldn't believe that he used to be one of them.

They were so eager to defeat someone that was stronger than them and who had robbed them of their prey. Even after hearing what he was, they still wanted to kill them. They thought that they could challenge him in great numbers.

Of course, Miguel conveniently left out the part where Vlad couldn't kill anything without attracting unwanted attention, though they already seemed to be aware of it. But Vlad had already attracted unwanted attention.

It would be only a matter of time before the Winter King heard about him.

So Miguel had to move fast. He had his own plans for Vlad, and neither the vampires nor the demons would interfere with that. All he needed from the vampires was to lure Vlad towards their location.

And the former vampire could set his plan into motion.

…

Vlad was reading in his bed when Lovino entered his room. The fallen angel didn't move, except to pull the sheets aside so Lovino could climb in bed.

"Nightmare again?" Vlad asked as he moved the sheets over the Italian.

"Shut up," Lovino said, snuggling closer to Vlad. "Does it ever go away?"

"Eventually. I think. As you've seen, I still suffer from my own nightmares of the past, even after thousands of years. It doesn't completely go away, but it gets better. The key is accepting it as a part of who you are."

"But what if I don't want to accept it?"

Vlad sighed.

"Then you'll only make it harder to move on," Vlad said. "The past doesn't define you. It just helps shape you into what you are. Your choices regarding your past helps you pave the way for your future."

"How so?" Lovino asked.

"If I had allowed myself to completely succumb under the weight of what has been done to me, then I would be a demon right now. Instead, I had chosen to prove everyone wrong. I had chosen to stand strong and show the world that I would only become stronger, no matter what it threw at me."

"And what about that demon?"

Vlad sighed.

"Ivan tears down all the walls that I had built for myself," Vlad said. "And once all the walls are torn down, he starts to mess with what has been hidden by those walls. By the time I escape, he's already created more scars and I have to rebuild my walls while trying to mend the scars. And the times when he lets me go, I'm always filled with so much fear. He let me go for a reason those times. I never find out what it is."

Lovino was silent for a moment.

"Do you feel yourself getting closer and closer with every encounter?" Lovino asked.

"Da. It's reached the point that one more encounter with him might be enough to completely corrupt me. That's one of the reasons why I need to be able to walk in the sun again."

"You want to have another brick in the wall," Lovino said.

"Exactly."

Lovino was silent for another moment.

"If you… If you found your heartwing, what would you do?"

"I would keep him safe," Vlad said. "He would be an entire wall. But this wall wouldn't defend _me_. This wall is one that _I_ must defend. It is the strongest wall, but the most fragile. And if he rejected me… That would be my undoing. So even if I find him, I wouldn't tell him about our bond."

"Why not?"

"Because of the curse. I would be rejected by my heartwing, and that would lead to my downfall. I also couldn't allow Ivan to get his hands on him, since he would torture and destroy him, all so that I would become a demon. I… I can't allow myself to be near him if I even suspect that Ivan or one of his underlings was around."

"Hey… Can other angels _see_ when others are heartwings?"

"Da. If both of them are in your sights at the same time, then it's easy to see."

"Do… do you think _we_ would be able to see it?"

Vlad was silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to answer the question.

"I don't know," Vlad admitted. "We've never really tried that before. But… would _you_ want to be able to see it?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because… It's painful, not having a heartwing and seeing others with theirs. It's like being at a dance and you're the only single person there."

"Oh. I… I see what you mean. I… I probably won't be someone's heartwing, will I?"

Vlad smiled, though it was small and sad, and Lovino wouldn't be able to see it.

"What makes you think that?" Vlad asked.

"Because I'm… broken," Lovino said. "And I'm damaged goods. No angel would want to touch me."

"An angel that rejects you… would be truly foolish. The bond was forged at the beginning of time. And besides, an angel wouldn't be able to reject you. You, being half – actually, three quarters – human, have the power to reject an angel. So the choice is up to you."

Lovino snuggled closer to Vlad.

"Would _you_ accept me?" Lovino asked.

Vlad smiled sadly again.

"Of course I would," Vlad said. "I'd be more focused on whether or not _you_ would accept _me_."

Lovino didn't answer, instead just snuggling closer. Vlad could sense heat coming from Lovino's face, and smiled softly.

"Enough for tonight," Vlad said. "Sleep well."

…

Miguel smirked, staring at the house in front of him. He had done some research, and had found the perfect bait residing in there.

And thanks to some help from demons, he no longer needed an invitation in order to enter a human's home.

…

Bella was making breakfast and Matthew, Marcello, Lars and Henri were keeping her company.

"I still can't believe that Vlad is really a fallen angel," Bella commented. "I wonder why he didn't tell us sooner. It could have saved a lot of drama, right broer?"

Lars grunted, but didn't comment on what his sister had to say.

"I think it's because it would have been easier to just let us think that he was a vampire," Matthew said. "And… I think he still feels ashamed about what happened to him."

"But you're not surprised?" Bella prompted.

"No. I mean, I suspected something like that. It would explain why he doesn't need blood, or how he knows so much about teaching us, and how he knows so many angels, and also why he likes sweet food."

"Oh yeah," Marcello said. "Heracles mentioned that angels like sweet food yesterday."

"How exactly do _you_ feel that Heracles and your brother are, you know?" Henri asked.

"I'm happy for Feli. If only Lovi could have someone like that too."

Lars smirked, but none of the others noticed it.

"I wonder what it would be like," Bella said. "To have someone like that."

Someone cleared their throat, and the teens turned to the door, where three unfamiliar figures were standing. The tallest of the three had a huge grin on his face, while the other two seemed to be staring at Marcello and Matthew.

"Looks like you know about heartwings," the tallest of the three said.

"I'm assuming the three of you are angels?" Lars asked, eyeing the trio.

"That's right. The name's Jett, and these are my brothers Fletcher and Jack, and… Uh, guys?"

Jett seemed to become aware for the first time that the other two were staring, and he couldn't quite figure out why.

"What's gotten into you?" Jett asked.

"Heartwings," Fletcher said.

Everyone else's eyes widened, and Lars turned to Bella.

"Looks like two people in this room get that question answered," Lars said. He turned back to Jett. "So, is there something I can help you with?"

Jett looked between his two brothers before he sighed.

"I guess," he said. "I'm looking for Vlad. There's something pretty serious that I need to speak to him about."

"Third floor," Lars said. "I could show you the way, and then the… lovebirds could get to know each other better."

Jett clapped his hands on his brothers' shoulders, distracting the two from their staring.

"Stop ogling," he said.

The two nodded, and Fletcher moved over towards Matthew while Jack went towards Marcello.

…

Vlad woke up when he sensed an angel's presence near. He sighed, wondering who it could be _this_ time. He groaned in annoyance when he saw that it was Jett, and that Lars was leading him.

Jett glanced towards Lovino briefly before he turned to Vlad.

"Couldn't it have waited until _later_?" Vlad asked.

"We might already be too late," Jett said.

Vlad stared at the other for a moment.

"What happened?" he asked at last.

"A Nephilim has been captured by vampires," Jett said. "Yao Wang, to be exact, but he's not alone. He has three other covens with him: the Bad Touch Trio, the Kirkland Brothers and the Nordic Five."


	23. Chapter 22

**Thanks to nicolai87, Atzuyi, Zaaze, Alica123321, Adorable Reader, ScandinavianTrash and Mehloveshorror for reviewing.**

 **And for those who didn't know, Jett=Australia, Fletcher=New Zealand, Jack=Hutt River.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 22**

Vlad stared at Jett for a moment, before turning to Lovino, who was thankfully still asleep. Vlad gently pulled himself away, before walking towards the angel.

"He's suffered trauma at the hands of the Trio," Vlad said in a low voice. "Let's take this somewhere else."

Vlad led them towards the room that he had adopted as his office, before closing the door behind them. He was a bit annoyed that Lars was there, but knew that he couldn't complain.

"So," Vlad said, "a Nephilim's been captured by four covens, with a Vampire Lord among their ranks?"

"That's right," Jett said. "The Nephilim in question has a sibling. A sister, in fact. And we need you to get them both to safety."

Vlad leaned against the wall, arms folded and eyes closed.

"It's suicidal," Vlad said. "With that many vampires, there's a chance that I might kill one of them."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Lars asked.

"Given Vlad's former nature, it's not," Jett said. "Killing someone is against an angel of life's nature. Not to mention the fact that if Vlad kills someone, or someone dies in close proximity to him, it could attract a demon. One in particular."

"I see," Lars said, before glancing at Vlad.

"We're willing to lend a hand," Jett continued. "Given how many vampires there are, it would be best if you brought others along."

"Great," Lars said. "I want to help."

"You're nowhere near ready," Vlad sighed.

"Then I won't fight as a Nephilim. I'll fight as a hunter, the way I have since this all started."

"Remember your battle with one of the Nordics?" Vlad asked. "Well, the Dragon Clan is stronger, and the Kirklands are all magic users. It's too dangerous for you."

"Perhaps not," Jett said. "You could spend the day training him. Combat, as well as angelic. Are there any other Nephilim that could help?"

"I know about one angel of war," Vlad said. "And we have a guardian angel, but… I don't want to put any of them in danger."

"An angel of war _would_ be helpful," Jett said. "And so would a guardian angel. And you could bring your other friends along."

"I'm not leaving them unprotected," Vlad said.

"I'm sure Alice and Nora would be more than happy to protect them in your stead," Jett said. "And it looks like Jack and Fletch have found their heartwings."

"Which ones?" Vlad asked, looking at Lars.

"Marcello and Matthew," Lars said.

"Matthew is the guardian angel," Vlad said.

"Then it looks like Fletcher will be coming with us," Jett said.

"I haven't agreed to _anything_ ," Vlad said. "I'm not about to put the Nephilim at risk for the sake of one that I don't even know."

Jett stared at Vlad for a moment before sighing.

"I didn't want to do this," he said. "But… You have to know. They're using the Nephilim as bait to lure _you_."

"All the more reason _not_ to go," Vlad said. "Why do _I_ have to go in the first place? I'm sure you guys could handle things."

"They've somehow managed to turn their location into cursed grounds," Jett said. "We can't get in, at least not without something… unholy, helping us in."

Vlad narrowed his eyes, and Lars looked between the two, sensing chaos approaching.

"And how did they manage _that_ , I wonder," Vlad said.

"We have no idea," Jett said. "Not even an angel of death could get in at the moment. But a _fallen_ angel…"

"Dragged," Vlad said. "Pushed. In case you've forgotten, pretty much every single angel left me stranded. They were _supposed_ to make my punishment lighter. The guilt and the punishment are out of balance. And how many came to my aid? How many tried to defend me? How many tried to help me undo the damage that has been done? How many of you tried to protect me against _him_? _You_ didn't. Your brothers didn't. I could count the amount of angels who've been there for me on my fingers. Out of the _tens of thousands_ , only a handful. And how many more outright rejected me? How many have turned their backs on me? How many have forsaken me? Gathering the Nephilim, training them… It's _your_ agenda. You want to use them to fight a battle _you_ can't. And now you're telling me to put myself _and_ my wards in danger _just_ to save _one_? I owe you _nothing_ , but I'm still gathering and teaching them, like you asked. But _this_ …"

"The Nephilim could be turned into a demon," Jett said. "Have you ever _seen_ a Nephilim demon?"

"Yes, I have. And what about that Nephilim's _life_? Are you so worried about him being turned into a _demon_? Does his _life_ mean nothing?"

Jett's hands clenched into fists. Vlad noticed this and sighed.

"I'll go," Vlad said, "but I'm not putting the Nephilim in danger. And I'm not doing this for _you_. Understood?"

Jett's fists unclenched, and he sighed.

"Fair enough," he said. "But… You'll still need help."

"I'll take Heracles and Feliks with me," Vlad said. "Michelle isn't very helpful out of the water, and Raj needs to stay here as well."

"And, who else?"

"I'll call Dimitri, Clara and Samuel for help," Vlad said. "I don't think the Kirklands and Bad Touch Trio will be happy to see the three of them again, that's for sure. And having angels of death around can certainly help."

"Take me too," Lars said. "I don't care what you say, I _want_ to go. I need to repay those Nordics anyway."

Vlad glanced towards Lars and sighed.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm going to have to give you some training, alright?"

Lars smirked in victory, and Vlad sighed.

"As you probably already know, I can't go during the day," Vlad said. "So it will have to wait until tonight."

"I know," Jett said. "Thank you."

…

 _Their hands around his arms. His screams. A tear-filled face in front of him._

" _Kill him," the whispered words. "Kill him, and we won't touch you tonight."_

 _He lifted the knife given to him. The knife that couldn't be used against his captors. But he still tried. They stopped him and took the knife away._

" _You lost your chance."_

 _He watched in horror as the child was killed, and he was pinned down to the ground…_

Lovino awoke with a start, covered in cold sweat. The nightmares weren't supposed to plague him. Where was Vlad?

Looking around, Lovino saw that Vlad _wasn't_ there, and with a frown on his face, he set out to find the fallen angel, intending to give him a piece of his mind.

He heard voices behind a closed door, and knew that Vlad was in there. There was another voice that he didn't recognise, and he tried to listen to what was being said, but nothing could come through.

After a while it grew silent, and Lovino jumped when the door opened. He saw Vlad, who didn't look too surprised to see him, and he immediately scowled to hide the blush of embarrassment from his surprise.

"Why didn't you wake me, bastard?" Lovino demanded.

"You were sleeping peacefully," Vlad said, smiling.

Lovino's scowl deepened when Vlad placed his hand on his shoulder, smiling brightly.

"Why don't you go down for some breakfast?" Vlad asked.

Lovino's expression smoothed out a little.

"You were trying to read my mind just now, weren't you?" Lovino asked. "I couldn't hear what you were saying."

"I know," Vlad said, retracting his hand.

Lovino's gaze drifted from Vlad to the two behind him. He scowled again when he saw someone he didn't recognise.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Angel," Vlad sighed. "I have to go again tonight."

"Why don't _they_ just bring whoever the hell it is you're supposed to get?" Lovino asked. "Are these bastards really so lazy that they're making _you_ do all the work?"

Vlad smiled while the angel scoffed.

"Clearly they knew what they were doing," the angel muttered.

Lovino arched an eyebrow while Vlad shook his head, chuckling.

"Never mind," Vlad said. "Now, go down and get some breakfast."

"What about the Scarf Bastard?" Lovino asked.

"You know I _do_ have a name," Lars said.

"Si, but I like calling people bastard."

"I need to go down as well," the angel sighed. "I'd hate to pull my brothers away after they found their heartwings, but…"

Judging by the tone of voice, he wasn't sorry at all.

"Oh yeah," Vlad said. "Wasn't one of the heartwings Marcello?"

"WHAT?!" Lovino snapped, before he ran downstairs.

The other three watched him, Vlad chuckling.

"Older brother syndrome," Vlad said.

"Ja," Lars said. "Something I know well."

…

Bella smiled, watching as Fletcher and Jack got to know Matthew and Marcello. It was nice. Henri looked a little bored, though.

"So, what kind of angels are you?" Matthew asked.

"Well, I'm an angel of royalty," Jack said. "A sort of guardian angel to them."

"And mine is a little harder to explain," Fletcher said. "I'm a guiding angel. I find lost souls and try to lead them on the right track. Some call us 'shepherds'."

"And what about you two?" Jack asked. "Do you have any idea yet?"

"Y-yeah," Matthew said. "Feliks and Vlad said that I'm a guardian angel, and apparently I have the nonexistence ability of one."

Fletcher beamed.

"I think Feliks mentioned that I'm an angel of love," Marcello said. "And I think Feliciano is an angel of arts and Lovino is an angel of life."

The two angels widened their eyes in surprise.

"No way," Jack said. "There's an angel of life Nephilim?"

"Is that good or bad?" Henri asked.

"They're the rarest form of angel," Jack explained. "After all these millennia, there's only ever been three, and one of them is Vlad."

"Which branch did he get?" Jack asked.

"Pardon?" Matthew asked.

"Vlad has the blood of life," Fletcher explained. "Then there's also the breath of life and the touch of life. So, which is your friend?"

Marcello and Matthew shared a glance.

"We don't know," Marcello explained.

"Oh," Fletcher said. "Well, it's probably going to be trial and error from this point onward. Unless he has the intuition?"

"I don't think so," Matthew sighed. "Lovino's still a bit in denial."

"Why would he be?" Jack asked.

"He's had a… traumatic experience," Matthew explained. "He doesn't think he's worthy of being an angel."

"Does he realise that we're not the 'pure' beings you humans believe us to be?" Fletcher asked.

Before anyone could answer, they heard a familiar voice screaming.

"WHAT?!"

Bella and Henri jumped out of shock, Jack and Fletcher glanced at the ceiling and Matthew and Marcello remained unperturbed.

"That would be Lovino," Marcello said. "I wonder why he's so angry."

They could hear loud running, and Matthew and Marcello exchanged a glance before turning towards the door. Within a few seconds the door opened, revealing a less-than-pleased Lovino, who immediately glared at the two angels.

"Alright," Lovino said, "which one of you bastards think you can get close to my fratellino?"

Marcello sighed, and Matthew chuckled. Bella smiled.

"Protective older brother?" Bella asked.

Lovino glared at her briefly, before turning his glare back to the two angels. Jack fidgeted nervously under the intense gaze, and Lovino honed in on him.

"So, _you're_ the angel of life?" Fletcher asked. "I can see that you have a similar temper to our dear cousin Alice."

They heard another set of running steps, and Lovino only glanced backwards briefly when Jett appeared.

"All right you two," Jett said. "I think it's time for us to go."

The other two angels sighed dejectedly, before they stood from the table. They passed Lovino, but the Italian grabbed Jack's wrist, halting the angel.

"Don't you _dare_ hurt him," Lovino said.

"Understood," Jack said.

Jett chuckled, and Lovino released the angel's wrist. In the next instant the three of them were gone, and it was only the five Nephilim in the kitchen.

"Why is it that you're protective of _me_ , but not of Feli?" Marcello asked.

"Hey, in case you forgot, I wanted to stop that bastard before he got to him," Lovino said. "And you're the _youngest_ brother. You're a bigger cause for concern. Though Feliciano _is_ a bit clueless."

"I can only imagine Alfred's reaction," Matthew said. "So… please don't tell him?"

"Fine," Lovino said. "I'll just use it as blackmail material."

"So now both your brothers have heartwings," Bella said. "You're the only one left."

Lovino scowled, before sitting down at the table.

"I thought breakfast was supposed to be ready by now."

…

"You need to go eat," Vlad said, looking at Lars. "It's not a good idea to do this on an empty stomach."

"Maybe," Lars said. "Should we get the angel of war?"

"No, leave Alfred out of this. I'm already reluctant to bring _you_ along tonight."

"You know he's going to try to get you to take him too, once he learns that I'm going?"

"Da… Fine. If you can, ask him to come up here. We'll hear what he has to say about all of this. And then the two of you need to spend the day with me. I've got some _serious_ training to give to the two of you."

"Asides from flying, what more can you teach us?"

"You are nowhere near ready to fly, at least not long distance, and not in a conflict situation. And I need to make sure the two of you know how to fight."

"I _have_ combat training."

"It doesn't hurt to improve. And there are a few other abilities that could prove useful. So go on. Go get breakfast."

…

Miguel had been offered a bed by Yao, but he didn't need it. Sleep was no longer necessary for him. So now he was simply lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

He ran through his plan in his head, as well as the plans laid out by the vampires. He couldn't afford for things to go wrong. It could mean a lost opportunity.

There weren't many like him, and he intended to keep it that way. Besides, he didn't even know how it had come to pass, except that a demon managed to get to him. It was either go with the demon or purgatory. The demon was a friendlier option.

He had spent as much time as possible learning about their history, and he had learned about the fallen angel of life, Vlad, and what he could do. He was more valuable as a fallen angel than as a demon. He also knew about the blood of life.

It thrilled him, the thought of blood as powerful as that. But the problem was that it had to be freely given.

Well, if there was one thing he's learned from demons, it's how to get what he wanted.

There was also something else he wanted, and now, with the vampires all asleep, he could start working on getting it.

So he stood from the bed and quietly left the room.

He was pleased that Yao had covered all the windows. While it could no longer kill him, exposure to the sun was still incredibly painful. It was something to be avoided at all costs.

At the end of the hallway was the room where the Nephilim was imprisoned and he smirked, removing the key from his pocket. Since he no longer had to feed on human blood, he had been entrusted with it. He had no reason to want to harm the Nephilim, at least until Vlad arrived.

Well, _harming_ him wasn't exactly on his agenda.

He unlocked the door and opened it, smirking when he saw the Nephilim, tied to a chair with a gag in place. The teen glared at him, but Miguel could easily see the fear in his eyes.

"You can relax," Miguel said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not your typical vampire."

Miguel walked closer, and the closer he got, the more the fear of the other grew. Finally he stopped, smirking at the other.

"You're probably wondering what you're doing here," Miguel said. "After all, no one's had a bite from you."

The teen's eyes narrowed, and Miguel's smirk widened.

"You're going to help us lure someone to us," Miguel said. "A fallen angel. One who's been cursed to remain for all eternity like a vampire. But it's only _like_. The others want to kill him to gain his power. I have something else in mind for him."

The boy tried to say something, but it was muffled by the gag. Still, Miguel knew exactly what he was saying.

"You want to know why _you_ could lure him?" Miguel said. "Simple. He's gathering Nephilim. Those born of the blood of humans and angels. Someone like _you_. He teaches them, protects them… every Nephilim is special to him. Do you want to know why I took you and not your sister?"

The boy raised his eyebrow, which Miguel took as an invitation to continue.

"She's more trusting than you are," Miguel said. "They're going to go to her first to make sure she's alright, and then they'll come to fetch you. She would give them any information they require. You would have been too stubborn, and we could have waited for too long. I want as much time as possible."

Miguel stroked the teen's cheek, making him flinch.

"Though your smell _is_ delectable," Miguel said. "Too bad it's soured by your personality. You will be reunited with your sister again _very_ soon."

The teen's eyes widened, and he started to struggle against his bonds. Miguel knew that the boy had interpreted it correctly. Seeing his sister again would _not_ be a good thing.

Miguel decided to leave it there and return to his room. He had learned a lot from demons, including how to ensure that a Nephilim was more inclined towards demons than angels.

 **Yeah, Lovino** _ **tried**_ **to be protective towards Feliciano, but he was stopped by Vlad. But no one stopped him this time.**


	24. Chapter 23

**Thanks to Time Turner, Zaaze, Adorable Reader, ScandinavianTrash, Skye Phoenix Dove and nicolai87 for reviewing.**

 **And since it wasn't clear, Miguel=Portugal, Hans=Kugelmugel, Henri=Luxembourg.**

 **Also, no, Vlad wasn't a Nephilim. What Fletcher meant in the previous chapter was that there were only ever three** _ **angels**_ **of life, with Vlad being one of them. Lovino is the first** _ **Nephilim**_ **of life.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 23**

Vlad massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming along. Why did he agree to this again?

As he had predicted, once Alfred learned of their intentions for that night, he had _insisted_ on coming along. And as agreed, Vlad had to consent to that arrangement.

And he had to train them. Lars had received decent enough training, but Alfred… Alfred lacked any form of finesse, and he was impulsive and impatient. Teaching him to fight as a skilled warrior would take a _lot_ of time. Time that they didn't have.

And then came the _pleasant_ surprise at the discovery of Alfred's hidden talent. Strength. It was obvious that the type of warfare he was most suited for was direct combat, and having him go berserk could count in his favour. Vlad just needed to figure out what would make him do that.

They had moved from the study to a large open room. Lars had asked him if Feliks kept the room open for training purposes, but Vlad responded that Feliks had run out of ideas and so hadn't assigned a purpose for the room and thus hadn't decorated it yet.

A training room sounded good.

Vlad watched Lars and Alfred as they sparred. Lars attacked with technique, while Alfred was sloppy. But what the latter lacked in skill, he made up for in strength. It could almost be considered an even match.

But while watching them, Vlad only became more and more convinced that they weren't ready for any sort of battle. Especially with vampires.

" _You're_ teaching them how to fight?" a mocking female voice spoke, causing Vlad to freeze and the two Nephilim to pause. "Why don't you just tell them to commit suicide? At least then they'll die with dignity."

"Out of all the things," Vlad muttered. "A swarm of locusts… A legion of demons… An army of the undead… _Any_ of those things would have been preferable to _you_."

Vlad turned around to face the one angel he detested more than any demon in Hell, and who detested him as well. Elizabeta Hedervary. An angel of war.

The woman glared at him, her hands twitching. Vlad kept his face impassive.

"What are you doing here?" Vlad asked, trying to remain as patient and polite as possible. He was _not_ in the mood to deal with her at that time.

"I'll be accompanying you tonight," she said.

Vlad's eyes widened, and he felt himself bristle at the revelation.

"What?!" he demanded. "You… _Why_?"

"Because they seem to think that you'd be incapable of handling the vampires," Elizabeta said. "They thought it best that an angel of war accompany you."

"Um, that's why _I'm_ going," Alfred said.

Elizabeta smiled brightly at Alfred.

"Sweetie, you have no experience," she said. "You also lack the skills necessary. The only thing you have going for you is your strength, but against vampires, it could possibly mean nothing."

Alfred looked as though he had been slapped, and Vlad glared at Elizabeta.

"That was harsh," he said. "He is _trying_."

"Trying might not be enough," Elizabeta said. "The way he's going now, he'd be dead within the first five minutes."

"Well, _he's_ half human," Vlad said. "He doesn't have the innate knowledge of warfare that the rest of you have. And _who_ taught it to the humans again?"

"Need I remind you what _you're_ responsible for?"

" _That_ wasn't on purpose, and you know it!"

"Perhaps it would be better for us to get out of here?" Lars suggested to Alfred, looking at the angel and fallen angel that had started arguing. "I'll teach you some of the things I've learned while hunting vampires."

"That _might_ be a good idea," Alfred said, eying the arguing duo as well. "Something tells me that they're going to get really violent soon."

The two snuck out as the argument increased in ferocity and volume.

…

Feliks looked up from his work when he heard a very loud, very familiar voice.

"Sounds like Liz is here," Feliks said, standing up. "Like, I need to stop them before they destroy any part of my house."

…

Feliciano jumped when he heard two voices arguing very loudly. Heracles looked thoughtful.

"Looks like Elizabeta's here," Heracles said.

"Ve, is that good or bad?" Feliciano asked.

"Usually, it's only a bad thing if you're Vlad. The two of them don't really like each other much."

"Why's that?"

"I think it has to do with the type of angels they are. Vlad's an angel of life, while Elizabeta is an angel of war. The two types have always hated each other. While life and death are two halves of the same coin, war results in an unnatural death. The angels of death came to accept it, but the angels of life couldn't. Angels of life see war as senseless and useless, which of course rubs the angels of war the wrong way. The fact that there are more angels of war than there are of life doesn't help matters. Then, of course, Vlad and Elizabeta have a hatred between them that transcends the natural hatred between angels of life and war."

"Oh," Feliciano said, turning his head towards the ceiling. "They've stopped."

"I pity whoever went to interrupt them," Heracles said.

…

Lovino frowned, listening to the argument a few rooms away. He was once again in the art room, putting the finishing touches on his portrait of Vlad.

He wanted to check if Vlad was alright, at least until he heard the two swearing at each other. That managed to convince him that he shouldn't try to interfere.

If there was one thing Lovino was an expert in, it was swearing, regardless of language. And what they were hurling at each other was _not_ meant to be heard by innocent ears.

…

Feliks was panting from effort, but at least he managed to get the two to stop fighting, thankfully before the violence could start.

Vlad and Elizabeta were sulking and fuming. Feliks would need to work _very_ carefully with the two of them. They were like volcanoes waiting to erupt. Any disturbance in the surrounding area could have them blowing up and lashing out at each other again.

"So, Liz," Feliks said, turning to Elizabeta. "Like, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'm forced to help out tonight," Elizabeta explained. "And then I saw this idiot trying to teach the Nephilim how to fight, and I knew I just _had_ to save them."

"Save?" Vlad scoffed. "I didn't even know that word existed in your vocabulary. But when you use a word, make sure you _actually_ know what the meaning is."

"Guys!" Feliks said, stopping the next argument before it could begin. "Like, now is not the time or place. Liz, would you like to join Michelle and Bella by the pool? I'm sure they'd totally love to have another female around."

"No thanks," Elizabeta said, looking coldly towards Vlad. "I need to find those Nephilim that he's been trying to teach. I need to make sure that they get the _proper_ instructions in how to fight."

"Hey, I _know_ how to fight, thank you very much," Vlad said. "And this isn't the first time I taught anyone."

Feliks cleared his throat, and the two stopped again. Feliks sighed in annoyance.

"Like, it wouldn't hurt for Liz to teach them how to fight," Feliks said. "She's qualified to do that, after all. And Liz, Vlad knows how to get _other_ talents from the Nephilim. And, like, you two will have to work together tonight, or the Nephilim will be in great danger."

Vlad and Elizabeta glared at each other, but they didn't say a word. Feliks sighed. Unfortunately, _that_ could be classified as making progress.

"Okay," Feliks said. "So, Liz, why don't you try to find those other two while I like speak to Vlad?"

"Fine," Elizabeta spat, throwing one last look towards Vlad before stalking out of the room.

Vlad remained silent for a moment, in an obvious effort to try to calm down.

"Like, what did she say?" Feliks asked gently, going towards his friend.

"She made a jab at my lack of a heartwing," Vlad said. "And I made a jab at the fact that Roderich had a child with a human."

"The heartwing issue still bothers you," Feliks sighed. "It shouldn't."

"I _know_. But… I'm afraid. Of Ivan, of rejection… I just… I've never been so close before, and the fact that I can't get _closer_ …"

"Says who?"

"I… You should have heard him. He's so afraid of _not_ being someone's heartwing, and… He never even considered that he's _my_ heartwing."

"He's broken, just like you are," Feliks said. "Both of you thought that you'd never be happy. That happiness and love are for other people. You've accepted and closed your hearts. But _you_ know that it isn't true. You've seen your connection with each other. But you're being held back by your fear. And as for Lovino, he hasn't really accepted the fact that he could be someone's heartwing, and his eyes are closed to the truth. In a way, the two of you are perfect for each other."

Vlad chuckled wryly at the last part.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," Vlad said. "Is that all you wanted to speak to me about?"

"No," Feliks said. "Like, I want to know why you're going on this suicide mission."

"It wouldn't be suicide. Not for me."

"But _still_ …"

"Because there's a Nephilim that needs our help, and we can't rely on the angels to save him. They could do it easily, you know? Instead, they want me to suffer. They know that encountering Yao would hurt me. But I know that that Nephilim would need our help. He needs to be saved as soon as possible. There's no telling that he would react the same as Lovino."

"What do you mean?"

"Despite all he's been through, Lovino is still more inclined towards being an angel than a demon. But there's no guarantee that this Nephilim would be the same. There's a chance that whatever the vampires would do to him would send him on the path to becoming a demon. And trust me, a Nephilim demon is _not_ a pretty picture."

…

Bella stared at the mermaid, or more specifically, her tail. She hadn't imagined it looking so… beautiful.

Michelle's tail was a beautiful blue colour. It closely resembled the tail of a dolphin, and the fins looked so delicate, while the tail itself was powerful. And it was the balance between the two that made it so beautiful.

Michelle hadn't revealed her tail the last time they had gone swimming together since she didn't want to overwhelm the other. But now she allowed Bella to see her true appearance.

But Michelle's lower body wasn't the only thing that had changed. Her hands were webbed, her nails appearing like claws. And her teeth were razor sharp, like a shark's.

Michelle smiled at Bella.

"A bit too much?" she asked.

"N-no," Bella said. "It's just… Not like the fairy tales."

"I know," Michelle said. "We've always been feared by sailors, but a few centuries ago humans started hunting mermaids like myself. It got to the point where _we_ started to fear humans. Then one of us saved a human from a wrecked ship. She had gone entirely on instinct. That human turned out to be Hans Christian Andersen, the author of _The Little Mermaid_. Because of him, mermaids had been painted in a better light in the eyes of humans. At the very least the hunting stopped."

"I see," Bella said. "So, I noticed that you only use the word 'mermaids'. What about mer _men_?"

"Oh, they're out there," Michelle said offhandedly. "But they're very rare. For every thousand females born there's a single male."

"Wow. So, there are thousands of you around, huh?"

"…No. I mean, thousands are born at a time, but… Well, because of territory and the availability of food, younglings fight to the death to weed out the weak. Out of thousands born, usually less than a dozen reach adulthood."

"Wow," Bella said. "Is that why you prefer to come here instead of living in the ocean?"

"It's not a matter of preference," Michelle said. "I just wanted to see my friends again. I originally intended to stay only a week or two, but… What with everything happening around Vlad, I feel like I _need_ to stay."

"I see. You're worried about your friend."

"Of course I am. Vlad, he… He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. I would do anything for him."

The two were silent for a moment, before Bella sighed.

"I heard he's going again tonight," Bella said. "My brother insisted on going along with him."

"Vlad wouldn't let anything happen to your brother," Michelle said, smiling reassuringly.

"I know. He saved Henri last time, but… I just can't help but worry, you know?"

"I think I see what you mean. Vlad's really worried about you guys. I know that if he could, he would leave your brother here, where it's safe. But he managed to convince Vlad to take him along."

Michelle refrained from telling Bella more. That there was a demon, possibly more, skulking around. That Feliks and Heracles would be going along, leaving her and Raj to protect the Nephilim. And while she wasn't so good out of water, she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. And Raj had an excellent sense of smell. He would be able to detect danger before anyone else.

"I hope everything goes well tonight," Bella said, worrying her lip.

"It'll be fine," Michelle said. "Vlad wouldn't let anything happen to those he's meant to be protecting. Your brother is in safe hands."

Bella smiled gratefully at the other girl, and the two started speaking about inconsequential things.

…

Since he no longer had to worry about teaching Alfred and Lars how to fight, Vlad went to seek out Matthew. It would be a good idea for the guardian angel to learn how to better protect those he cared about.

On his quest to find Matthew, Vlad stumbled upon Gupta, who was reading a book. He was about to turn away when he sensed magic coming from the book, and he looked closer.

"Is this okay?" Gupta asked upon noticing him.

"Da," Vlad said. "Magic is dangerous for humans, but angels have no problem, as long as the intentions are good."

"What does intention have to do with it?"

"Well, if the intentions are malevolent, then the angel risks falling from grace. Quite a few angels have fallen because they had used magic with evil intentions in mind."

Gupta looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What kind of spells would you recommend?" he asked.

"Defensive spells," Vlad said. "The intentions behind them are always pure, so learning how to defend yourself, the people around you and your area is a good idea."

"I see. Is that what Heracles was doing last night?"

Vlad stared at the Egyptian in surprise for a moment before he nodded.

"Didn't think anyone would catch on to that," Vlad said. "Yes. He was creating a protective barrier."

"Are you expecting danger?" Gupta asked.

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

Gupta nodded, before he turned to the book again.

"I think I'll look up a few defensive spells," Gupta said. "Like you said, it's a good idea."

Vlad smiled before he left, resuming his search for the guardian angel.

…

Heracles sighed, massaging his temples. Vlad had asked him to turn the surrounding area into sacred ground, and he was certainly feeling its effects. He sincerely hoped that the other fallen angel was suffering just as much as he was.

"Um, Hera?" Feliciano asked, and Heracles turned to him. "Ve, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Heracles responded.

"Is there… is there a chance that you would fall completely? And become a… you know?"

"A demon," Heracles said, and Feliciano nodded. "Naturally, no. At this point in time, whether or not I become a demon depends entirely on you."

"Ve, what do you mean?"

"If you outright reject me, then it would speed up the process. But if something happens to you, then I would become a demon as well. My heart had only been half a heart, but it became whole because of you. And now, _you_ are my heart. If something happened to you, I have no reason to exist anymore."

Feliciano blushed, and Heracles pulled him into a hug.

"Your very existence is precious to me," Heracles said. "I would do anything to keep you safe."

Feliciano snuggled closer to him, closing his eyes.

"I feel safe with you," Feliciano said. "I feel like… Like there's nowhere else I should be except in your arms. I only hope everyone here gets to feel that too."

"That reminds me. Your little brother found his heartwing this morning, and so did that friend of yours. The guardian angel?"

"You mean Matteo? Oh, I'm so happy for them. Now Lovi just needs to find his."

Heracles smiled, not daring to say a word. He didn't want to get in trouble because he spoke about Vlad out of turn _again_.

…

Miguel smirked. It was getting closer and closer to sunset. And it wouldn't be too long after that that the party would get started.

He had been waiting for more than a century for an opportunity like this to come along, and he wouldn't mess anything up. He would make sure that everything was a success.

And if things went wrong, it would be the vampires that paid.

Yes, he had learned _many_ things from the demons, and his already cruel personality had become even crueller. Vampires thought they were at the top of the food chain, but they still had a long way to go. And while they weren't prey, they weren't exactly the strongest creatures out there.

Miguel also knew what the demons wanted, and he would help them get it. And the key to it all would be arriving within a few hours.

 **Has anyone checked out the newest episode of Epic Rap Battles of History? As a Hetalian, I appreciate the Russian vs Prussian. It's Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible, but then Old Fritz joins the show. Gilbert would be proud.**


	25. Chapter 24

**Thanks to Time Turner, nicolai87, Adorable Reader and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 24**

Lovino shuddered, staring at the setting sun. After he had finished his painting, he had gone outside to enjoy the warm sun again. He realised that if he went too long without it he would be reminded of the cold darkness that he had spent several months trapped in.

But for some reason, as he saw the sun set, he had a feeling of doom about him. It was as though something horrible would happen once the sun set. And Lovino didn't like that feeling.

He became worried about Vlad. He had a feeling that something terrible would happen to him while they were on their mission. And Lovino didn't like that feeling either.

He wondered, not for the first time, why he worried so much about Vlad. He had seen the other fight several times. Vlad couldn't get killed, only injured.

But even though it was only injuries, Lovino didn't want the other to endure them. He was no stranger to pain, and he could only imagine how much it hurt Vlad to be impaled in the heart. And considering how much the other had to sleep in order to heal himself, it took a toll on his body.

Lovino hated seeing Vlad like that, and it annoyed him. He had only known him for less than a week, and yet he was even more worried about Vlad than he was for his brothers. What he couldn't understand was _why_.

Why did he grow so attached to Vlad in such a short period of time? It couldn't just be because he saved his life. There had to be something _more_.

"Is something on your mind?"

Lovino jumped at the sound of the voice, and he turned to see Matthew, looking concerned.

"Learn to make some noise when you walk," Lovino snapped.

Matthew smiled, and Lovino realised that he was glad that Lovino was his usual self again. He didn't know how to feel about that.

"But seriously, is something wrong?" Matthew asked.

Lovino sighed, before he looked at his friend. Matthew was a lot smarter than his brothers. He was also the only one between them that stopped to think. He was always able to keep a level head. And perhaps that was what Lovino needed.

"Have you ever grown close to someone in a short amount of time, and you don't really know why?" Lovino asked.

"You're talking about Vlad," Matthew said.

"N-no! Answer me, dammit!"

Matthew chuckled, before he looked thoughtful.

"I'm not sure," Matthew said. "I mean, I'm not very social, as you know. But… I think the closest I came was Fletcher this morning."

"Your heartwing, right?" Lovino asked.

"Yeah. It was only a few minutes, but… Somehow, I felt as though I've known him my whole life. And there's this feeling, you know? Like I'm completely safe with him."

Lovino frowned in thought. Some of that described how he felt about Vlad. But no, it was impossible. Vlad would have told him by now, wouldn't he?

Matthew shuddered, and Lovino turned to face him.

"I feel as though something bad is coming," Matthew said. "And it doesn't help that Vlad taught me a few tricks that guardian angels use."

"What tricks?" Lovino asked.

"He mentioned that guardian angels are very perceptive of danger, and they can sense it before other angels. And I'm definitely sensing it."

"I get the feeling that something's wrong too."

Matthew looked over towards the garden, a frown on his face.

"Jason's in the garden," Matthew said.

"Good for him."

"No. I feel as though something's wrong."

And before Lovino could say anything else Matthew was off, running towards the garden. Lovino pondered for a moment whether or not to follow, before he shrugged.

It wouldn't hurt to check.

Lovino ran after Matthew, wondering what was going on and worried that something had happened to Jason. Jason was his friend too, and if he was in trouble, Lovino would help Matthew with dealing with the problem.

The two arrived to see Jason, and they were relieved to see that he appeared to be unharmed. He looked annoyed, though, as he was getting rid of quite a few dead plants. And Lovino noted that some of them looked burned.

"What's up?" Jason asked, frowning a little when he saw that his brother looked worried.

"I thought I felt…" Matthew said, before he shook his head. "I don't know."

Jason shrugged, before turning to the plants again. He made a disgruntled sound which had Lovino going closer.

"Who's the idiot that's been trampling the plants?" Jason asked.

"Don't look at me," Lovino said. "What about the Bird Bastard? I mean, some of these plants look burned."

"I don't think it's Feliks," Jason said. "It wouldn't make sense to burn the plants in your own garden. Why go through the trouble of making one in the first place?"

"You have a point," Matthew said.

The three of them heard footsteps approaching, and they turned to see Feliks coming closer.

"Like, you should head inside," Feliks said.

"One question," Jason said. "Did you walk through your plants and burn them?"

"Like, of course not. Why would I…?"

Feliks cut himself off, his eyes widening. He went closer and looked through the plants, eyes focused on the ground.

Lovino saw a footprint in the dirt, and he wondered who would walk around with bare feet. Feliks paused when he saw the footprint.

"Like, get inside," Feliks said. "We'll be leaving soon, and it won't be a good idea for you to stick around outside. Trust me."

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked.

"Like, don't worry about it. Come on. Let's go."

Lovino could tell that the phoenix was worried. His movements had started growing jerky, and his eyes kept darting around. Lovino didn't like the idea that Feliks was hiding something from them, but there was something that bothered him more.

Lovino knew that Feliks would tell Vlad if something was bothering him, and Vlad would keep it secret as well. And the thought of Vlad hiding something didn't sit well with him.

But then he was reminded about the revelation of Vlad's true nature, and the fact that he had been afraid of their reactions. A part of him knew that Vlad wouldn't keep something from them without a good reason, but another part hated that Vlad would keep something from him.

…

As each of the covens woke up, they slowly made their way towards the conference room that they had used the previous night. Miguel was already there, and he smiled when each of them entered.

Antonio made his way towards his sire, intending to learn more from the former vampire.

"Why did you let me think that you were dead?" Antonio demanded.

"Because in a sense, I was," Miguel said calmly. "Still am."

"I don't mean…"

"I know what you don't mean. I died as a vampire. But my consciousness was transported to purgatory. We don't have souls, so it was my consciousness. That's what happens to vampires when they die, by the way. Since we don't have souls, a true afterlife is barred from us. A demon somehow managed to get to me and offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. As for why I let you think I was dead: well, it's not that I _let_ you think that. I was only able to return to this world a few months ago, and I never got around to tracking down all my children. As it is, I can only remain in this world for a few days at a time."

Antonio stared at him for a moment.

"What was the deal?" Antonio asked.

Miguel smirked.

"That is my little secret," Miguel said.

Antonio frowned, but before he could say anything else Yao entered the room, and the vampires knew that they would begin shortly. Antonio threw Miguel one last look before he went to rejoin his own coven.

"Are you sure that Vlad would come?" Yao asked as he addressed Miguel.

"According to my sources, he has received the message and is on his way," Miguel said. "Though they've had some difficulty acquiring the information, since apparently they turned the area into sacred ground, making it impossible for vampires to enter and nearly impossible for demons. A weak demon who isn't pure evil can step there, but it would be painful."

"How do we know the information is accurate?" Arthur asked.

"In the underworld, information is the currency, so everyone makes sure to have more than enough of it. And it needs to be as accurate as possible, since spreading false information could result in some of the cruellest forms of torture imaginable. Tortures that humans or vampires could think of are no more than child's play for them."

"So the information can be trusted?" Yao asked.

"Of course. You have my word for it."

"How long will it take for him to arrive?"

"A few hours at most. But rest assured, he will be here _tonight_."

"Good. We will have every entrance blocked and once we've established his position, we will all move in. There's no way he can defeat all of us."

"Will he be bringing _friends_ along?" Francis asked.

Miguel frowned.

"I'm not sure," Miguel said. "None of my sources told me of any _friends_. But if he knows how many of us there are, then he will certainly have some assistance."

"So it all boils down to whether or not he knows how many of us there are," Lukas said.

"I know about a few friends of his, namely a phoenix, a naga and a mermaid. The mermaid shouldn't be a problem, and Lord Yao will have no problem with the naga. The problem is the phoenix."

"How do we deal with the bird?" Mathias asked.

"It's not going to be easy," Miguel said. "A phoenix revives itself every time it dies. And after each revival it comes back stronger than before. We have no idea how old this phoenix is and how many cycles it went through."

"And let's not forget about his angel friends," Arthur said. "Those bloody bastards really worked us over."

"I will deal with them," Yao said, before he looked at his coven. "I'm sure you will help with that?"

"Of course," Leon said. "There is no need to even ask us."

"I will guard our little prisoner," Miguel said. "I'm the only one that won't be tempted by his blood."

"Very well," Yao said. "Are all of you well fed? We need to be sure that we are all at full strength."

Everyone except for Miguel and the members of the Dragon Clan fidgeted nervously. Yao arched an eyebrow.

"Well?" he prompted.

"It's been a few days since we've last fed from our slave, before he escaped…" Francis said sheepishly.

"We might also be a little deprived…" Arthur said.

"Well, we _were_ supposed to be hunting when we ran into him," Tino said, chuckling nervously. "We were more focused on finding and defeating him that we completely forgot about it."

Yao sighed, before he glanced at Miguel.

"Perhaps _that_ is the reason why you couldn't manage to defeat him," Yao said. "You were all _weak_ with hunger."

"Hey!" Gilbert exclaimed. "When we first faced him, we had fed from our pet just the previous night."

Yao glared at the white-haired vampire.

"You should remember your place," Yao growled.

Miguel cleared his throat, and Yao turned to face him.

"Perhaps you should all take the time to feed," Miguel said. "I'm sure you could spare them some of your slaves. After all, you have about fifty in the basement of this building."

"I see that I would have no choice in the matter," Yao sighed. "Very well. You can feed from my slaves, _but_ keep them alive. Humans are a lot harder to come by than they used to be. Well, unless you burn down their house."

"I just thought of something," Alistair said, looking at Miguel. " _You_ don't need an invitation into their homes. _You_ could get a few humans."

Miguel looked annoyed at that statement.

"I am doing more than enough to ensure our victory," Miguel said. "Because of me, angels can't enter here, unless they have someone like, say, a fallen angel helping them. And even then, they will be weaker than they normally would be."

"How'd you do that?" Lukas asked.

"I turned this area into cursed ground."

"Would have been nice to know that sooner," Patrick said.

"So we have an advantage?" Yao asked.

"Against angels, yes," Miguel said. "However, other creatures, particularly the ones that fall on the other side of the spectrum could pose even more of a problem than before."

"But it is still an advantage," Francis said.

"Come," Leon said. "I will take you so that you may feed."

Soon enough, the only ones remaining were Miguel and the Dragon Clan, with the exception of Leon. Miguel looked around at the other members to try to see if he knew who each of them were.

There was Kiku, a young man from Japan. He was Yao's first child who had been sired over two thousand years ago.

Yong Soo, an energetic teen from Korea, before the divide. He had a knack for building things, as well as infiltration. There was also a chance that he might have some magic.

Lien, a serious woman that hailed from Vietnam. Miguel wasn't sure when she had been sired, but he knew that it was a long time ago.

Lobsang, a monk from Tibet. Miguel knew that Yao prided himself in siring someone from a religious order. The Tibetan was usually close to Yao, and he rarely spoke.

Kasem, a man from Thailand. He had actually been the crown prince once upon a time, but then Yao got to him. He was apparently a monster on the battlefield.

Chio, a young man from Macau. He had been sired in the last century. He had a lot of luck on his side, which made him one of the vampires in the Dragon Clan that you didn't want to face in battle.

And finally there was Mei, the youngest of the group, only a few decades old. She usually posed as Yao's secretary, but that was all a ploy to make others underestimate her. She was very talented when it came to combat, and she was an expert strategist.

Then there was of course Yao and Leon, and Miguel felt pleased that he knew who each of them was. Out of the covens assembled, the Dragon Clan could prove to be the most troublesome.

"I'll just go to the prisoner," Miguel said. " _If_ he manages to get past all of you, I will be ready to take him down."

"Forgive me for saying it," Kiku said, "but I do not recall you mentioning how to kill him."

"You can't," Miguel said simply. "There are only a handful beings that can do that. But you don't need to kill him to defeat him. Just make sure that he's powerless to fight back. I can handle the rest."

Yao narrowed his eyes, and Miguel decided to leave before he was asked another question, one which he knew he shouldn't answer. He mentally berated himself. He couldn't afford for them to become suspicious and ruin his plans.

He paused, glancing towards the ground. He no longer cast a shadow, and yet there it was. He tensed when he felt something cold, followed by the scent of smoke and old blood. He knew what the shadow meant.

"Is everything going according to plan?" a cold voice asked.

"S-sim," Miguel said. "He's on his way, and the vampires suspect nothing."

"Excellent. And don't try to betray me. The punishment will be of the likes that you cannot even imagine. Be grateful I made sure that the Winter King didn't hear of this yet."

"U-understood."

The shadow disappeared, and Miguel sighed in relief. He couldn't afford for things to go wrong. He needed to find a way to achieve his own goals, as well as his master's, and he needed to make sure that he didn't betray his master in any way.

…

Vlad was waiting for Dimitri, Samuel and Clara to arrive. He wasn't sure what was taking them so long, and he grew worried.

He jumped when there was a knock on the door, and he immediately ran towards it. He could already smell that it was them, and relief washed over him.

He opened the door and smiled when he saw Dimitri, but frowned when he couldn't see Samuel or Clara. Dimitri sighed.

"They couldn't make it," he said. "There was another emergency they had to tend to."

"I understand," Vlad said. "At least _you're_ here. And at least _you_ use the door."

Feliks and Elizabeta came closer, and when Dimitri saw Elizabeta his eyes widened.

"Wait, _you're_ here?" he questioned. "And the house is still standing?"

Feliks sighed, before he glared at Elizabeta and Vlad.

"It takes a _lot_ of work to keep the peace between them," Feliks said.

"I know," Dimitri said. "I've tried."

Heracles came closer as well, accompanied by Alfred, Lars and Matthew. Dimitri looked at Heracles for a moment, before turning to the Nephilim.

"Why exactly are they coming along?" Dimitri asked. "Isn't it dangerous?"

"Two of them _insisted_ ," Vlad said. "The third is a guardian angel in the making, and Jett figured it would be a good idea to take him. I've been contemplating it for the entire day."

"Does he know some protection spells?"

"Da. I taught him. And with him coming, so is Fletcher."

"Fletcher?" Dimitri asked. "Why Fletcher?"

"Heartwing." Vlad said.

Dimitri nodded his head in understanding, before he looked around.

"Where _is_ Fletcher?" Dimitri asked.

"He's meeting us there," Elizabeta said. "Now we can go, can't we?"

Vlad nodded, and they were about to leave the house when a voice spoke.

"Wait."

Vlad turned to see Lovino standing in the doorway of the next room, looking nervous. Vlad quickly approached him.

"Is something wrong?" Vlad asked.

Lovino blushed and looked down.

"Don't get hurt again," Lovino said.

Vlad smiled.

"I'll try not to," Vlad said.

"Don't _try_ , dammit. Just _don't_."

Vlad chuckled. He was fighting the urge to wrap his arms around Lovino in a hug, so instead he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I will do my best not to get hurt," Vlad said.

Reluctantly he turned away to join the others. Once he did, Elizabeta glanced at him coldly, and he rolled his eyes.

"Idiot," she muttered.

He wasn't in the mood for a fight and tried to ignore her, but apparently she wasn't finished.

"When are you going to tell him that he's your heartwing?" she muttered.

He glared at her but didn't answer. The last person he wanted to discuss this with was _her_.

After Feliks turned into his true form to allow the Nephilim to ride him, the others all spread their wings and took flight, knowing that it would be a long and difficult battle awaiting them, especially since they couldn't kill out of fear for attracting demonic attention.


	26. Chapter 25

**Thanks to Mehloveshorror, Time Turner, Olivia Kirkland, ScandinavianTrash, CosmicDucks and Adorable Reader for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 25**

Fletcher was waiting for them in front of a house. Inside that house was the sister of the captured Nephilim. He had already gone to her earlier in the day to reassure her that they would do everything they could to retrieve her brother.

He had explained to her what he was, what she was and what her brother was. He had also explained the nature of those that would come to save him. They would just be checking on her before they went to save her brother.

The corner of his mouth twitched when he saw a group of winged beings approaching, and he truly smiled when he saw that Matthew was riding on the phoenix. But the smile dropped as he realised how much danger his heartwing would be in.

He observed as they each landed, and Vlad was the one that came closer to him. Fletcher nodded in greeting, before glancing over towards Matthew.

"You may discuss it with Jett," Vlad said. He gestured to the house. "So, is that where he lives?"

"Yeah," Fletcher said. "His sister is inside with some sweets."

Vlad smiled, and once the group was ready they approached the front door. Fletcher was the one who knocked.

A young girl in her early teens opened the door, looking at the group with worry, her eyes lingering on Vlad before they settled on Fletcher.

"Are these the people that are going to save my brother?" she asked.

"That's right," Fletcher said. "With only one exception, all of us are angels, fallen angels or Nephilim."

"Which of you are Nephilim?" she asked.

The three in question raised their hands, and she looked at them all with some degree of concern, but also wonder.

"You're like me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Matthew said. "And we're going to get you and your brother to others of our kind."

She smiled, before she opened the door wider.

"Why don't you come inside?" she asked, before turning to Fletcher. "I've bought some sweets, like you asked."

"Thank you, Lili," he said, before entering.

They all entered one by one, and Lili closed the door behind them. She went towards the kitchen as the others made themselves comfortable in her living room.

"Why sweets?" Lars asked.

"Angels have a sweet tooth," Fletcher explained. "And when eaten before a battle, it could give us a little boost."

"And after a battle it's a form of comfort food," Heracles said. "In every sense of the word."

They lapsed into silence, and soon Lili returned, carrying a tray filled with sweet foods. Everyone took one or two treats.

"Thank you," Vlad said, smiling at the girl.

Lili smiled back, before turning to Fletcher with a worried look. Fletcher merely nodded.

"Alright," Vlad said, turning to Lili. "Before we go, I want you to tell us as much as possible about your brother."

…

Vash glared at the vampire that entered the room. It was the same vampire that had captured him, and the same who had taunted him earlier in the day. He hated this vampire, but he was still afraid of him.

Miguel smirked, leaning against the opposite wall.

"Your rescuers have arrived," Miguel said. "Your sister is entertaining them at the moment, and they'll arrive soon."

Vash widened his eyes. A part of him was glad to know that he would be rescued, while another part wondered why the vampire was telling him.

Miguel smirked, seeing the emotions in Vash's eyes.

"They will fail," Miguel said. "They're outnumbered, and they'll be weakened as soon as they step foot here. And as for your sister… _you_ will be the one to kill her."

Vash's felt the colour drain from his face, and he started to struggle in his bonds. Miguel's smirk widened when he saw the desperate reaction from the human.

"I wonder what you taste like," Miguel said, stepping away from the wall. "I told the others that I won't be tempted by your blood, and I'm not, but I _am_ curious about it. I've never had a half-breed like you before. Something that is no more than delicious prey for most supernatural creatures."

As he spoke, Miguel moved closer, and Vash started to tremble in fear. His words also cut deep, for some reason. It was probably associated with the fact that Vash wasn't what he thought he was. His reality had been shattered by this vampire.

Vash could do nothing as Miguel sank his fangs into his neck. He could feel his blood being drained from his body. He was unable to fight, unable to speak… He had never felt so helpless before.

And he couldn't help but wonder about what the vampire said. Would he really kill his sister?

Just when Vash started to feel lightheaded, Miguel pulled away, licking his lips. Vash averted his eyes, not wanting to look at the vampire.

"It truly _is_ delicious," Miguel said. "You're like a delicacy, and that will be what you will become. Nothing more than a treat for us. Your blood is certainly of high quality."

Vash shuddered when Miguel stroked his cheek.

"And your sister has the same blood as you," Miguel continued. "Maybe you won't kill her. She would be a nice dessert. But she's such a small, frail thing. How long do you think she will be able to survive?"

Vash screamed in frustration, though it was muffled by the gag. He could feel tears stinging his eyes. Why was the vampire doing this to him? What had he done to deserve this?

Miguel smirked as he leaned closer to the other's ear.

"Your kind isn't worth much," Miguel whispered. "For some, you are food. For others, you are cannon fodder. A sacrifice. And at the moment, you are bait. What do you think your rescuers will use you for?"

The tears fell, and Vash could feel a sense of terror settling in his very being. Miguel had said that there were those that would come to rescue him. But _why_? He had no idea who they were, and how would they even know about him?

Miguel moved away, and Vash watched him with wary eyes. It would seem that Miguel had lost interest in him, as he took out a thin book, which couldn't possibly have more than two hundred pages.

Miguel started to read, and with him leaving Vash alone, the latter started to feel relieved, before the fear and anxiety set in.

…

Vlad surveyed the surroundings just outside the vicinity of Dragon Tower. He could clearly see the cursed grounds, and he wondered yet again how the vampires were able to do something like that. There shouldn't be a way for them to have done it, and yet there it was…

"This is all your fault, you know," Elizabeta said.

Vlad glared at her out of the corner of his eye, but he could feel Feliks's eyes on his back, and thus he couldn't give her the reply that he wanted to. They didn't have the time to start another argument.

"I didn't expect there to be so many," Fletcher said, looking around.

"I've seen more on my hunts," Lars said, surveying the scene as well.

"The ones that showed up on your hunts were weaklings," Vlad said. "Children. These guys… they've been at this for at least a few centuries. They're a lot stronger than the ones you're used to."

"How much stronger could they be?" Lars asked.

"Vampire children rely almost entirely on their instincts," Elizabeta said. "They're animals, and have the strength to back it up. These guys, on the other hand, rely on their strength as well, but also cunning. And then there's their histories to consider."

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked.

"Some vampires sire others just to increase numbers," Vlad explained. "These are cannon fodder. But those who form covens have a tendency to seek out humans that are already dangerous, and then they turn them into vampires. Vampires who would truly be strong, in many ways. Think of the Kirklands. Each of them were pirates when they were humans. And the Nordics were Vikings. As humans they'd be a force to reckon with, but as vampires…"

"I think we've got it," Alfred said, looking a little pale.

Vlad looked towards the three Nephilim with a stern expression.

"You three, stay together," Vlad ordered. "Fletcher, you'll keep an eye on them, won't you?"

Fletcher glanced towards Matthew before nodding his head.

"I'm the only one who has a decent sense of smell," Vlad said. "I'm going to find Vash. The rest of you need to take care of any vampires that get in the way. _Without_ killing them, please. I don't want to attract any demons to this fight."

They had gotten a few details from Lili, including the name of her brother. The most important part for Vlad was finding out what type of personality he had.

"Let's get this over with," Heracles sighed.

"I love it when others speak my language," Elizabeta said.

Vlad sighed.

"I suppose we've waited long enough," Vlad said. "Come on. Who knows what they've done to Vash."

…

Everyone was gathered in the living room. They were watching some of Feliks's old movies. Well, except for one.

Lovino was pacing nervously, and occasionally the others would glance in his direction, but no one dared to say anything. They all knew that Lovino was in denial, and they didn't want to invoke his rage.

"Do you think Hera's alright?" Feliciano asked.

"Of course he is," Michelle said, smiling sweetly. "Angels and fallen angels are tough. There's no way the vampires would be able to kill them."

"What _does_ it take to kill them?" Lovino asked.

Michelle and Raj shared a glance before Raj sighed.

"The only ones that could kill an angel, fallen angel or demon is another one of the three," Raj said. "But not all of them. Only specific ones. They're unique to every angel. For example, the ones that could kill Vlad aren't the same as the ones that could kill Heracles."

"One of the reasons why Vlad and Elizabeta don't like each other is because she's one of the angels that could kill Vlad," Michelle said.

"What?!" Lovino exclaimed, coming to a stop and staring at her.

"Don't worry," Raj said. "Elizabeta would only do that if he ever became a demon. That's why they put the rule in place in the first place. Then there is Ludwig, who became a demon, and Ivan."

"Ivan?" Lovino whispered. "Isn't that…?"

"The Winter King," Raj said solemnly. "The one responsible for Vlad's fall from grace."

"And he can _kill_ him?"

"Yes," Michelle said. "But he won't. Because he enjoys Vlad's torment too much. And he wants Vlad to join him."

"Bastard," Lovino muttered. "What about us?"

"You're not immortal yet," Raj said. " _Anything_ can kill you."

"And even if you become angels, you'll always be a little weaker than the others. There are more creatures that could kill you."

"Wow," Henri said sarcastically, "that makes me feel _so_ much better."

Raj chuckled, before he froze. He quickly stood up from the couch and made his way to the door.

"What's wrong with him?" Bella asked.

"It's probably nothing," Michelle said quietly, her eyes looking sharp.

…

They made their way closer towards Dragon Tower in silence. The three Nephilim were nervous, while Fletcher, Dimitri and Elizabeta were feeling unwell because of the cursed grounds. And each of the (fallen) angels wondered who had turned the grounds cursed, and _how_.

It didn't take them long to encounter the first group of vampires: the Bad Touch Trio.

"Kesesese," Gilbert cackled, staring at Vlad. "Long time, no see, _Vlad_."

Vlad didn't react, save for his eyes narrowing marginally.

"Where's our little Lovi?" Antonio asked, a smirk on his face.

"He is where you will never touch him again," Vlad said.

"What could someone like you need him for?" Francis asked. "You should really give him to those of us who need him for food."

Vlad's hands clenched into fists, and he was starting to feel that perhaps he should forget about Ivan and kill these three. They were the reason why Lovino couldn't sleep at night without sharing a bed with him. They were the ones that hurt Lovino, that made him feel as though he wasn't worthy being what he was.

He felt a hand touching his wrist and turned to see Elizabeta, surprisingly looking gently at him.

"I'll take care of them," she said. "You need to save Vash, and then you can get back to him."

He was surprised by her compassion, but he smiled and nodded.

"You're not going anywhere," Gilbert said, and the three dropped into a battle stance.

"Silly," Elizabeta said, giggling. "You think you can order an angel of war?"

The three widened their eyes as Elizabeta summoned her wings, along with battle armour and a broadsword. The three vampires stared for a moment, before Gilbert's face split in a grin.

"Awesome," he said.

It was only then that they noticed that the three vampires had swords at their sides, and they withdrew them as a single unit. Elizabeta smirked at the sight.

"I'm going to enjoy this," she said.

"Let's go," Vlad said, gesturing to the others.

As they ran, they heard the first sounds of steel clashing.

"That looks cool," Alfred said, staring back at the battle.

"Al…" Matthew warned.

They had almost reached the tower's entrance when the rest of the vampires appeared. The three Nephilim stared in surprise, not expecting to see eighteen vampires come to challenge the eight of them.

"Vlad," Yao said, stepping forward. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Indeed," Vlad said. "I can't imagine how four covens would be able to work together."

"It's easy, if they have a common goal. Or a common enemy."

"I see," Vlad said, marginally narrowing his eyes. "And I'm assuming you're referring to me."

Yao smirked.

"Naturally," Yao said. "I see you've brought three of your little pets. Don't worry. We'll take _good_ care of them. There's one for each coven, after all."

The three Nephilim shifted nervously, and Fletcher placed a calming hand on Matthew's shoulder.

"Before we begin," Vlad said, "I just have two questions: how did you know that I would come for your prisoner, and who turned this area into cursed ground?"

"Those questions share the same answer," Yao said. "His name is Miguel. He is the sire of Antonio Carriedo. His title was "The Merchant"."

"As far as I know, The Merchant has been slain."

Yao didn't grace the statement with a response, instead just chuckling in amusement.

"If that is all," Yao said, "then it is time to begin."

Yao summoned a pair of wings. They were large, bat-like wings with a bit of a reddish tint to the black. They could almost be considered dragon wings in Western culture. Vlad, Fletcher, Dimitri and Heracles all summoned their own wings. Alfred was about to do it as well, but Feliks stopped him, shaking his head.

"You're not ready yet," Feliks said firmly.

"And he never will be," Yao said.

That was the only warning before Yao launched himself at Vlad. Vlad stood his ground and managed to stand strong against him. But it was the signal the other vampires to start attacking.

Vlad glared at Yao, their hands interlocked as Yao pressed closer, trying to overwhelm Vlad. Yao smirked, and Vlad widened his eyes as Yao opened his mouth. Vlad was just fast enough to push Yao away with a burst of strength and jump before the fireball came hurtling towards him. It managed to singe the tail of his trench coat.

Feliks had summoned his own fire, and the Nordics were surrounding him, though they looked hesitantly at him. Feliks glanced towards Vlad.

"Like, go save Vash," Feliks said. "I'll take care of them."

Vlad nodded, and he took to the sky. Yao growled, before he flew after him, but Feliks was slightly faster, summoning his wings and flying upwards, only to send Yao to the ground.

Vlad was thankful for his sense of smell. He knew exactly where Vash was. And now, as he grew closer, he smelled that there was something else with the Nephilim. Something he couldn't quite identify.

…

Raj kept searching around outside. He knew that scent. A smoky scent, mixed with old blood.

A demon's scent.

Demons had the power of teleportation, and it was possible that they came to this place without knowing that the ground had been turned sacred. But why would they come in the first place?

If they were just passing through, then there wasn't much they should be concerned with. Though they might be suspicious as to why _this_ had been turned into sacred ground. But if they had something they wanted, then there were two possibilities.

They could be there for the Nephilim, or they could be there for Vlad. Neither possibility was reassuring.

Raj listened closely, his eyesight only slightly worse than a human's. His hearing and his sense of smell were the two things he relied the most on. And in emergencies, he could rely on his sense of touch to sense vibrations in the earth. If there was someone there, he'd know.

The scent was already fading, and he sighed in relief. Any possible danger had passed.

He returned to the house, keeping his senses open.

"Come back soon," he murmured.

…

Miguel chuckled before he looked towards Vash, a smug expression on his face.

"It has begun," he said. "And it looks like our guest of honour is on his way."

Vash narrowed his eyes, but he was afraid for many reasons: What did Miguel intend to do with him? What did Miguel intend with their 'guest of honour'? Was his sister there as well? And what did his 'rescuers' intend to do with him?

Vash wanted to find out, but he was afraid that the answers to his questions were things he didn't want to know.


	27. Chapter 26

**Thanks to Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, Adorable Reader and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 26**

Vlad crashed through the window. He wasn't really concerned about the fact that Yao would have to have it fixed, lest sunlight would stream and someone from his coven walked through it. Most vampires slept through the day, but some would do some work during that time. And stand guard in case humans got bold and tried to attack a known vampire lair.

Vlad inhaled deeply. Vash was on this floor. He just needed to find the right room.

He took off, following the scent and wrinkling his nose when he caught the other scent as well. Something that Vlad didn't know. Something that was right next to Vash.

He stopped in front of a door at the very end of the hallway. This was it. Vash was inside, along with the unfamiliar thing. And he knew that the stranger already knew that he was there.

Vlad took a deep breath, before he opened the door.

…

Gilbert smirked as he crossed blades with Elizabeta. The other two were taking a short break, not as fond of fighting as Gilbert. And Elizabeta had much, _much_ more experience than they had in battle combined.

"You're holding back," Gilbert said.

"How can you tell?" Elizabeta asked.

"You don't have enough strain on your face. Your eyes aren't as ruthless as they could be. Now, I want to know _why_."

Elizabeta didn't answer, instead she applied more force into her sword, knocking Gilbert away, right before Antonio came charging. She parried him and pushed him away as well, and then Francis came charging.

"You could kill us at any time," Gilbert said. "So why are you holding back?"

"Gilbert!" Francis scolded. "Do you really want an invitation for her to…?"

"I wouldn't mind," Antonio interrupted. "I want to know why she's treating us like weaklings."

Elizabeta smiled sweetly.

"That's because to me, you _are_ weaklings," she said. She looked over towards the tower with a frown on her face. "As much as I don't like him, I can't allow unwanted attention to be drawn to Vlad."

"A demon, right?" Gilbert asked.

"Not just any demon. A demon who, even as an angel, had shown a large amount of cruelty towards his fellow angels. After the Fall, even if he hadn't joined Lucifer and was banished, he would have been banished regardless. He has a personal interest in Vlad, all because before the fall, Lucifer had an interest in him."

"Wait, wait, wait," Francis said. "Are you saying that our little _friend_ was targeted by le Diable himself?"

"Yes. Now, what would _he_ want with Vlad? Because he doesn't take interest in someone out of boredom. He has a grand plan for Vlad, and the Winter King is the one that's going to bring Vlad to _him_."

The Bad Touch Trio were quiet for a moment before they grinned.

"I don't think we're opposed to him getting Vlad, right?" Gilbert said.

"Idiots," Elizabeta said. "If the demons get their hands on Vlad and his power, then there will be nothing to stop them from attempting a second war, with earth as the middle ground. Tell me, do you know how a vampire would compare with a demon?"

Antonio growled, narrowing his eyes.

"There would _be_ no comparison," Antonio said. "Demons are stronger, aren't they?"

"They are as strong as angels and fallen angels," Elizabeta said. "The only difference is that they aren't shy about fighting dirty. They would use any means to win. And you should already have an idea of how strong they are, seeing as you've already fought against a fallen angel and three angels."

The trio were silent for a moment. Gilbert shrugged.

"I don't really care about it," Gilbert said. "But I want you to make more of an effort. It's been a long time since I fought someone that gives me a challenge. And an _actual_ fight, the way humans used to do it."

Elizabeta smirked.

"That's the way angels still do," she said, before she launched another attack.

…

Dimitri hovered above the battle, keeping his senses open. As an angel of death, he had the power to predict an impending death, and he could stop it. Well, usually he couldn't, but since almost everyone here was outside the norm, he could.

He needed to make sure that no death would occur near Vlad. He didn't want his friend to suffer at the hands of Ivan yet again.

He winced when lightning hit his back, and he turned to see the Kirkland brothers, looking up at him with hateful eyes.

"We still need to repay you for the other night," Arthur said.

Dimitri smirked.

"Do you honestly think you could challenge me?" he asked. "Or do you want me to punish you again?"

"Your friends aren't with you this time," Alistair said. "It's going to be very different."

Dimitri chuckled.

"We shall see about that," Dimitri said.

…

Vlad stepped into the room. He immediately found a teenage boy whom he assumed was Vash, seeing as he was bound to a chair and gagged. And his eyes immediately sought out the other occupant of the room.

"Welcome," the stranger said, stepping forward. "My guest of honour has arrived."

Vlad narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Of course, you'd want introductions. My name is Miguel, though some call me The Merchant."

"Funny. Last I heard, The Merchant had been slain."

"Indeed. Would you like to hear what the afterlife of a vampire entails?"

Vlad glanced towards Vash, and he could see something in his eyes that he didn't really want to see, so he turned his attention back to Miguel.

"Go on," Vlad prompted.

Miguel smirked.

"You probably already know, but a soul ceases to exist once a human is sired," Miguel said. "So there is no soul. Instead, you have a consciousness. Once the vampire is slain, his consciousness is transported to purgatory, where they spend all of eternity. Or that's how it's supposed to be. Some demons can slip into purgatory. They look for souls, or in the case of vampires, consciousness, that would prove useful to them. And I happened to be the lucky one."

"Who?" Vlad asked. "Who was the demon?"

Miguel chuckled, and Vlad had a growing feeling of unease. If it was _him_ …

"The Shadow Prince," Miguel said, and Vlad widened his eyes. "Ludwig."

Vlad didn't realise it, but his shoulders sagged in relief. It wasn't Ivan. But it was someone who was just as bad, at least to him.

"And what does Ludwig want?" Vlad asked.

"You, of course," Miguel said. "Or rather, the little kiddies under your wing. But he wants you to guide them. After all, if anyone knows anything about Nephilim, it's you. He would also like some of your blood, willingly given."

"Not likely," Vlad snarled.

"He anticipated that answer. Which is why he also offers protection from the Winter King. For you and your heartwing."

Vlad's eyes widened, and he subconsciously took a step back. Miguel chuckled.

"I was also asked to find out whether or not you've found him," Miguel said. "Or her. Looks like I was right."

Vlad growled, taking a step forward again.

"There's something you want as well," Vlad said. "So speak up."

"I had a feeling you'd be the perceptive type," Miguel said. "I've heard others speak about your blood. The purest blood in existence. The blood of life. When willingly given, it could heal anything, except vampirism. But I can't help but wonder what would happen if it was taken by force."

"It wouldn't work," Vlad said. "And besides, it's toxic for vampires."

"Oh, but I'm not a vampire. Not anymore."

Vlad narrowed his eyes, and Miguel chuckled.

"I'm something akin to you," Miguel explained. "Something halfway between vampire and demon. And I'm still bound to Ludwig, as his messenger. Your blood created vampires, oh Vampire King. I'm sure it could help me transcend my current status."

"No, it wouldn't," Vlad said. "And even if it did, I wouldn't allow you."

"Have you ever checked? Have you ever encountered someone such as myself?"

Vlad growled, and Miguel took a step closer to Vash.

"Perhaps you would rather be interested in a trade?" Miguel suggested. "This Nephilim, in exchange for your blood. A fair price, wouldn't you say?"

"No," Vlad said. "By giving him to me, you defy Ludwig, and I'm pretty sure he made it clear what he would do to you, should you defy him. Or fail him."

Up until now, Miguel had an expression of calm amusement. That look now disappeared, replaced by annoyance and frustration.

"If you're going to be like that…" Miguel said. "I hope you realise that I have a lot in common with you. Including the ability to sire a Nephilim. I've already taken some of his blood. All it would take is a few drops of my blood to turn him into a vampire."

Vlad's eyes widened as he saw Miguel rip off the gag, and he snarled when the former vampire brought his wrist up to his mouth.

"Don't you dare !" Vlad snarled, summoning his wings and launching himself at Miguel.

Miguel was ready for him, and easily blocked Vlad, doing something that Vlad didn't anticipate: he summoned his own wings. These wings didn't look tangible, and resembled shadows. But this wasn't the first time that Vlad had seen wings such as these, and he knew that they were as real as his own.

And with the wings, it would seem that Miguel had more strength than without, for he managed to pin Vlad to the ground, catching him completely off guard. Vlad looked up with wide eyes at the vampire-demon hybrid.

"I _will_ get what I want," Miguel whispered, baring his fangs.

Vlad struggled as Miguel leaned closer, and he grunted when the vampire pierced his skin. After a few seconds, he realised that Miguel wasn't reacting negatively to his blood, which meant it wasn't toxic to him.

But Vlad's blood was something that had to be freely given, and not taken by force.

Vlad's wings, which had been pressed underneath his body, disappeared of their own accord. And his strength started to fail him. Miguel leaned back, his mouth covered in silver liquid.

"You're not used to others simply taking what they want from you, are you?" Miguel said.

"Get off me," Vlad whispered.

Miguel chuckled, pinning Vlad harder.

"I offered you the chance to do this the easy way, but you refused," Miguel said. "So now, I already have two things I wanted: your blood, and what would happen if your blood is taken by force. It weakens you, doesn't it? It's why you need to give it willingly, or else it doesn't work, isn't it?"

Vlad growled, squirming underneath Miguel.

"Ludwig wants those Nephilim of yours," Miguel said. "But he'll be satisfied with you. After all, you would lead him to the others."

Vlad gasped when he saw the shadows in the room shifting, and he happened to glance towards Vash, who was watching them with wide eyes and remaining silent. As long as Vash remained quiet, he might get out of this without attracting unwanted attention.

The shadows converged, and Vlad swallowed nervously when he saw the shape that manifested from the shadows.

"Ludwig," Vlad whispered.

…

Lovino had stopped pacing, but now he was sitting with his arms crossed and his fingers tapping on his arms. He also appeared to have trouble breathing.

Michelle and Raj exchanged a look, but they didn't comment on it. They had heard descriptions of what was happening from Vlad a few times before, but they couldn't exactly explain it to Lovino.

This was one of the things that happened when an angel sensed that their heartwing was in danger. Their nerves were shot, and they were restless. But the only thing that could pose a threat to Vlad was a demon.

One in particular.

Lovino was sensing that Vlad was in danger, but he had no idea what it meant. He didn't even know that he was Vlad's heartwing.

They also kept an eye on Feliciano, who didn't seem to be suffering from the same thing that Lovino was suffering from. He was worried about Heracles, but there was nothing that suggested that Heracles was actually in danger.

Which meant that the group had split up.

Raj and Michelle shared a look before they left the room, hoping that none of the Nephilim were following them. Once they felt they were a safe distance away, Michelle spoke.

"What do you think is happening to Vlad?" she asked.

"I don't know," Raj said. "If it's _him_ …"

"We need to get in contact with someone," Michelle said. "Someone that could help him."

Raj bit his lip, before he nodded.

"We have no idea what's going on," Raj said. "But it can't be good."

…

Miguel stepped away from Vlad, who didn't dare move. Ludwig was a powerful demon, equal to Ivan in power and influence. And both of them had the power to kill Vlad. Before, he didn't have a problem with that, and preferred death over living. But after finding his heartwing, death was not something that he wanted.

"Nice to see you again, Vlad," Ludwig said, smirking lightly. He glanced towards Miguel. "I see you've enjoyed yourself. Tell me, how does his blood compare?"

"It's not as rich as mortal blood," Miguel said. "And far sweeter than Nephilim blood."

Ludwig glanced towards Vash before turning his attention back to Vlad, crouching down next to him. Vlad still hadn't moved, wanting to hear what Ludwig wanted first.

"So, that's what happens when your blood is forcefully taken?" Ludwig asked. "The same thing doesn't happen to Nora or Alice, does it? Touch and breath… Yours is the strongest, yet the most fragile."

"Get on with it," Vlad said.

"I made sure that Ivan didn't hear of your exploits, so be grateful. But you've already attracted the attention of a few other demons, because you allowed a death to take place right next to you."

"What are you…?" Vlad started, before his eyes widened in realisation.

It was brief, but a death _did_ happen right next to him. He didn't think it would qualify as a death, but he had revived him.

Henri had died the other night. And for a death to happen in his presence…

Ludwig smirked.

"You see?" Ludwig said. "Ivan would already have the means to find you. It's only through my intervention that he hasn't. So, are you going to comply?"

Vlad narrowed his eyes.

"What is it you really want, Ludwig?" Vlad asked.

"Nephilim make good soldiers," Ludwig said. "Though I can do without them being mindless savages. Which is where siring them comes in. But Miguel is still a poor imitation of you. Either you sire Miguel properly, or _you_ sire the Nephilim."

"How about neither?"

"I know why you're gathering them. It must feel horrible, doing a favour for those who rejected you. Those who refused to help you when you were at your lowest."

"As opposed to what? Helping those that helped me sink to my lowest? Those that wanted to break me down? Destroy me? Those who only seek to abuse my power?"

Ludwig smirked.

"As stubborn as always," he said. "It's one of the more endearing qualities about you. But you should really be smarter about your situation."

"In other words I should consider your offer as _generous_ and that your way is the best way," Vlad said. "No."

Vlad winced when Ludwig wrapped a hand around his throat, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"This is so much easier for you," Ludwig said. "You can remain a fallen angel, without becoming a demon. And I will protect you from Ivan. What more do you want?"

"Nothing from _you_ ," Vlad spat.

"Perhaps we should hear what his heartwing has to say," Miguel suggested.

Vlad's eyes widened, and Ludwig smirked.

"So, you found him," Ludwig said. "That would explain why you're so protective of the Nephilim. Tell me, is it _this_ one?"

Ludwig glanced towards Vash, who flinched under his gaze. Ludwig chuckled.

"No, not him," Ludwig said. "He's already on the path of his descent. You wouldn't have allowed it to happen to your heartwing."

Vlad glanced towards Vash. While he could see that he was confused, he wisely kept quiet, most likely knowing that it was a delicate situation, and that anything could tip the balance into unsavoury territory. Not that it wasn't already unsavoury…

"Perhaps we can negotiate," Ludwig said. "I'll protect you from Ivan, along with your heartwing. Well?"

Vlad closed his eyes. It was one thing if he was being threatened. But to bring Lovino into this…

"How do you think your friends are faring?" Ludwig asked. "They're up against how many vampires again?"

"Twenty-one," Miguel said.

"Twenty-one," Ludwig said. "How confident are you that they will win?"

"You forgot to consider _who_ I have on my side," Vlad said, smirking. "Do you think those vampires stand a chance against Elizabeta?"

"Without being able to kill them, I say they have a fair chance."

…

Fletcher paused, looking over his shoulder. He smiled in relief, before he turned his attention to Matthew.

"Matthew," Fletcher said, "I want you and the other two to fly to the roof. Now."

"What?" Alfred asked, blocking Kiku. "But, why?"

"We have reinforcements, and it's best if the three of you get ready for a swift retreat."

…

Vlad's eyes widened briefly, before he smirked. Ludwig narrowed his eyes.

"What's so amusing?" Ludwig asked.

"Cursed grounds prevent angels from stepping foot on them," Vlad said. "But if the path is cleared…"

Ludwig's grip tightened around Vlad's throat, making him wince.

"Are you saying you have reinforcements?" Ludwig asked.

Vlad didn't answer, but a gasp from Miguel was answer enough, as a pitchfork was aimed at Ludwig's neck. He slowly turned to look at the owner of the pitchfork.

It was strange how the universe worked. Standing with her pitchfork aimed at Ludwig was a guardian angel. Ivan's sister. Katyusha.


	28. Chapter 27

**Thanks to CosmicDucks, Zaaze, alica123321, Mehloveshorror, Olivia Kirkland, missycanucks, Adorable Reader and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 27**

Ludwig stared at Katyusha, looking just a little annoyed. In the background, Miguel was looking between the angel and the demon, wondering whether or not he should interfere. Katyusha's eyes trailed towards Vlad.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Great," Vlad said sarcastically. "Once he releases my throat."

Ludwig released his grip on the fallen angel's throat and slowly stood. Vlad tried to stand, but Ludwig brought his foot down onto the other's chest, pinning him down. Vlad grunted as he was forced to the ground again.

"What are you doing here?" Ludwig asked, trying to intimidate the angel, but she didn't back down.

"I was asked to assist Vlad," Katyusha said. "His friends realised that there's something very wrong."

"Well, how clever of them. And you came here because you were expecting Ivan, right? Do you think that he'll back down just because _you_ show up?"

Katyusha sighed.

"I know that Ivan is beyond my reach," she said. "But I could still help Vlad."

Vlad had always liked Katyusha. After his fall, she was one of the few that tried to fix his situation. He knew that it was partially because she felt guilty that her brother was the one responsible for what happened to him, but he still appreciated the kind gesture from her. And it might be because of her guardian angel instincts as well.

"You should know by now that he's beyond saving," Ludwig said. "Ivan has made sure of that."

"He's not a demon yet," Katyusha said. "There is still hope for him."

"Oh, I love the way you say 'yet'," Vlad said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry…"

"Quiet," Ludwig said, pressing his foot harder into Vlad's chest.

It was times like these that made Vlad glad that demons didn't wear shoes. He could just imagine Ludwig being the type of person that would wear heavy combat boots. That would certainly make his current situation a lot less comfortable.

"We have business to take care of," Ludwig said, glaring at Katyusha. "So I suggest you _leave_."

Katyusha looked between Ludwig and Vlad before she sighed. Vlad widened his eyes, knowing what she was about to do.

In an instant the room became illuminated by what could only be considered heavenly light. But to a demon, it was more painful than any flame and to a vampire, more painful than sunlight. Miguel, Ludwig and Vlad all screamed in pain.

Vlad could feel as a weight was lifted from his chest, and a moment later he felt someone help him to his feet.

"I'm sorry," Katyusha's voice said.

Vlad was no longer screaming, but it was still painful. Quickly, he was led out of the room.

He turned to see Vash standing outside, looking unsure about what he should do. Vlad winced as he took a step closer to the Nephilim.

"It's okay," Vlad said. "I'm on your side."

Vash looked him up and down, and Vlad slumped against the wall.

"I don't know about that," Vash said. "But… I _do_ know that you're not on _their_ side. What do you want from me?"

Vlad sighed in relief, and he pushed himself away from the wall.

"Come on," he said. "I'll explain on our way to the roof."

"The roof?" Vash repeated.

"Yes. There are a few people there that you may want to meet."

Vash looked at him suspiciously, but Vlad merely gestured to follow. He knew that he didn't pose much of a threat to Vash, so the teen was more likely to trust him. But he didn't feel safe with Vlad being the one to protect him, which was why he was glad that Katyusha was coming as well.

Vlad widened his eyes when he heard a roar coming from the room that they had left behind, and he broke into a run, Vash and Katyusha following the hint and starting to run as well.

Vlad reached out and lightly brushed Vash on the arm, and he saw the other flinch back, but he already had everything that he needed. Contact telepathy had its perks, after all. But some of the things he saw… It bothered him. He had to fix a lot of damage.

…

When the light faded Ludwig rounded on Miguel, the snarl on his face smoothing a little.

"Have you had _some_ success?" Ludwig asked.

"Sim," Miguel said. "I managed to get under the boy's skin. Not to mention, I've had some of his blood. Vlad wouldn't be able to heal the boy should he have an… accident. Not without siring him, and that's the last thing that he wants, correct?"

Ludwig smirked.

"Very good," Ludwig said. "I'm assuming that you can trace them?"

"It's going to require some complicated magic, but I can manage."

"Very well. We'll let them scamper away, for now. Let them think that they've escaped us. But we'll be waiting."

…

Alfred, Matthew and Lars were watching the battle from the roof. They couldn't see much more than blurs, though some of the magic users were making it easy to follow the battle with the lights their magic produced.

They had seen more white blurs arriving, and they knew that they were the reinforcements that Fletcher had mentioned.

Though, the dominant colour was red, and it was because of Feliks and Yao. Most of the others gave the two of them a wide berth, but Yao's coven stayed close to their leader. They had seen it for themselves. The members of the Dragon Clan had the power to assist their leader by giving him some of their magic.

"Man," Alfred huffed. "I want to go back down there."

Matthew sighed.

"Al, Fletcher sent us up here for a reason," Matthew said. "So stop complaining."

"I hate to interrupt your little brotherly argument," Lars said, looking down, "but I think we have a problem."

Matthew and Alfred looked as well, and they immediately saw what Lars was referring to. One of the vampires had decided to scale the wall, going at quite an impressive speed. Alfred laughed, and the other two stared at him.

"We can take him," Alfred said. "I mean, there's only one of them."

"One might be all it takes," Lars said. "But I think that we should get away from the edge."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because all it would take for that vampire to get an advantage over us is to push one of us over the edge. And it's hard enough to summon the wings and start flying when we're calm. Imagine what it would be like when we're panicking."

"Well, this _is_ a tall tower…"

"Lars is right," Matthew said. "All it would take is one of us being pushed over the edge."

Alfred sighed, but the three of them went more towards the centre of the roof. But now that they couldn't see the battle, the three of them grew nervous once again.

"How long do you think we have to stay up here?" Alfred asked.

"At least until Vlad, Feliks or one of the angels come to get us," Lars said.

…

Raj and Michelle were relieved to see that Lovino had relaxed, but he was still glancing towards the window every now and again. He still sensed something.

The others noticed as well, and it was clear that they had a silent debate over who would go to speak to Lovino. In the end it was Gupta who won (or lost, it was unclear), and he went over with his book.

"You sense something, don't you?" Gupta asked.

Lovino shot him a glare, but he didn't say anything. He drew his knees closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"Believe it or not, it seems as though you're more in touch with your angel self than the rest of us," Gupta continued.

"What the fuck gave you _that_ idea?" Lovino muttered.

A few of the others shot a glance towards Hans, and the boy shrugged. He was clearly getting used to the swears (he had started hanging out with Jason and Marcello, and Jason's vocabulary wasn't too far from Lovino's).

"You can sense what's going on with Vlad, can't you?" Gupta asked.

"N-no," Lovino said. "I don't see how that's possible."

Raj and Michelle exchanged a quick glance.

"I think it's because you're the same kind of angel as him," Gupta said. "And Feliks _did_ say that they're rare."

Lovino was silent for a moment. It was hard to tell what was going through his head, but he eventually lifted it to look at Gupta.

"I'm the same type of angel as Vlad?" he whispered.

"Of course," Gupta said. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"I… I can't be. He… He's an angel of life. It's… No. I can't be."

"It's true," Raj said. "You're an angel of life."

"Ve, it's great, isn't it fratello?" Feliciano said.

"N-no," Lovino said, trembling. "I… I…"

He jumped to his feet and made a hasty retreat. Feliciano and Marcello shared a look, and both appeared equally upset.

"What just happened?" Henri asked.

"Ve," Feliciano said, "Lovino doesn't think he's worth it. Doesn't he see…?"

"Lovino's always been pretty insecure," Marcello said. "I guess he can't see himself as an angel of life."

"Vlad saved him from a terrible fate," Gupta mused. "I think he can't see himself as the same type of angel as Vlad. I think… He holds Vlad on some sort of pedestal, and that to be on the same level as that pedestal…"

Michelle and Raj shared a look, and they both sighed. Michelle then spoke in a language that none of the humans could recognise.

"Vlad would want to hear about this," she said, and only Raj could understand her.

…

Vlad, Katyusha and Vash arrived on the roof, and only Vash seemed to be a little winded. Vlad appeared to be uneasy, both physically and emotionally, but he stood strong. And Katyusha kept her eye on both of them.

The three teens already on the roof jumped in surprise, before they sighed in relief.

"Dude," Alfred said, "don't scare us."

"Sorry," Vlad said. "Alfred, Matthew and Lars, this is Vash."

"Hi," Matthew said, smiling softly.

"I don't think they're following," Katyusha said, looking behind her. "I think it would be safe to leave you here."

Vlad nodded.

"Da," he said. "Thanks, Kat. For everything."

Katyusha smiled, before she hugged Vlad. After a while she let go. She looked at Vlad fondly, like a mother looking at her child, but there was a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

"Take care of yourself," she whispered.

Vlad nodded, and he stepped back. She summoned her wings, and in a gust of wind took off. Vlad turned to Alfred, Matthew and Lars.

"Can I trust you three to fly the short distance to Vash's house?" Vlad asked.

Vash stiffened next to him, his eyes wide. Vlad looked towards him before smiling reassuringly.

"I won't hurt you," Vlad said. "Or your sister. We'll take you back to her, and then the two of you need to come with us. We'll keep you safe, and we'll teach you all about how to use your powers."

"What if I don't _want_ that?" Vash asked, his voice a little harsh.

Vlad shrugged.

"It's fine," he said. "But at least let me protect you. Your blood is a delicacy for vampires. They might come after you again."

Vash swallowed, before he looked down.

"And what about you?" Vash asked.

"Dude, don't worry about it," Alfred said. "Vlad may look like a vampire, but he isn't. He's a totally awesome angel who fell because a villain played a mean trick on him. He's been fighting against him for centuries. He's like the most badass anti-hero I've ever seen."

Everyone looked at Alfred oddly, and his smile turned into a look of confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"And to think that _you're_ the one that refused to trust him in the beginning," Matthew sighed, shaking his head.

Vash ignored Matthew and turned to gaze sharply at Vlad.

"That other vampire called you the 'Vampire King'," Vash said. "Well?"

The other three were watching Vlad nervously, and he sighed.

"I played an unwilling part in the creation of vampires," Vlad said. "Part of my punishment is to live as one of the creatures that I had unwillingly helped create."

Vash narrowed his eyes.

"What guarantee do I have that it was really unwilling?" Vash asked.

"He's afraid of having a demon find him," Lars said. "And he's had several angels vouching for him, along with a few other creatures. And we've already established that it's against Vlad's nature to harm a living being."

Vlad sighed.

"Look, it's important for you to come with us," Vlad said. "I'll explain it later, but you _need_ to come with us. For your own protection, and your sister's."

"What do you know about Lili?" Vash demanded.

"She's nice," Matthew said. "And extremely sweet. Anyone that wants to hurt her would have to be a heartless monster."

"And our _friends_ from back there aren't following us," Vlad said. "They haven't given up – it's not in their nature to give up easily. So if they're not following us…"

Vash widened his eyes.

"They might be after Lili!" Vash exclaimed. "All… Alright. I'll go with you. But just to my house. Okay?"

"We'll see how things go from there then," Vlad said.

"You are not going anywhere," a voice said.

Everyone was startled as they turned their attentions to the speaker. It would seem that it was Kiku who had scaled the wall and was now standing on the roof with them. His brown eyes had a tinge of red in them, reflecting his hunger for the four Nephilim.

Vlad looked at Kiku unimpressed, and he sighed in annoyance.

"I hope you realise that you won't be able to stop us," Vlad said.

"And what makes you say that?" Kiku asked.

"We have wings, you don't."

And with that, Vlad summoned his wings. He quickly grabbed Vash and took flight, with the teen crying out his surprise and indignation. Vlad smiled when he heard the other three take flight, having taken a little longer to summon their wings. But they were faring well.

Even Lars, who only had a few hours' practice earlier that day.

"Put me down!" Vash shouted.

Vlad chuckled.

"Are you sure you want that?" Vlad asked.

Vash looked down, and when he realised how high they were, he clung closer to Vlad. Vlad was distracted by the sound of Alfred's uneasy exclamation.

"Dude, do you have to go so fast?" Alfred asked.

"I'm going _slow_ for your sake," Vlad said.

" _This_ is slow?"

"Give it a few years and you'll see what I mean."

…

Feliks was fighting against the vast majority of the Dragon Clan. And he had learned _why_ they called themselves that. Apparently, they could use magic to create an aura around Yao, and the aura took on the form of a Chinese dragon.

And it could fly as well, which meant that Feliks no longer had an aerial advantage.

He noticed the dragon pause, looking to the sky. Feliks looked as well, and with his sharp eyesight he could see Vlad's group flying away.

But the Nephilim weren't ready to fly long distance yet. If they wanted to return home, then they would need to fly with Feliks.

But Feliks was still fighting.

Some of the others had noticed as well, but it was Fletcher that said anything to him.

"Go," Fletcher said, holding back Mathias. "We can manage. You need to get them back."

"We'll hold them off so you can fly away," Dimitri said.

Feliks turned to Heracles, who nodded his head.

"I'll catch up," Heracles said. "Go!"

Feliks nodded, and since he was already in his true form, merely spread his wings to fly. The dragon that the Dragon Clan had conjured try to follow him, but the angels held it back.

They would catch up. Fletcher would reunite with Matthew and Heracles would reunite with Feliciano.

…

Lovino was pacing frantically. He had gone to his room, though with the amount of time he spent in Vlad's, it could hardly be considered _his_ room.

He still couldn't believe it. An angel of life… What business did _he_ have in being something like that? He didn't deserve it. He was too broken, too damaged…

'But look at Vlad,' a small voice spoke to him.

Lovino frowned. Vlad had gone through hell and back, literally (or that's what Vlad mentioned one time, right?). Vlad had fallen from grace. He was a fallen angel, and one more push from that demon was all it would take for him to become a demon as well.

"That's different," Lovino muttered. "He was like that _before_."

He wondered briefly if Vlad _knew_ what kind of angel Lovino would be, before he sighed. Of course he knew. If the others knew, then naturally Vlad would know as well. But why didn't Vlad tell him?

Lovino knew the answer to that as well. Because he _told_ Vlad that he didn't want to know. He still couldn't accept the fact that he was part angel, and hearing exactly _what_ he was… It was too unreal.

Lovino flopped down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. He wanted to go to sleep, but he didn't want to risk that chance. He didn't want to relive what those three had done to him yet again.

He knew that he needed to wait for Vlad to come back, ignoring the fact that he _wanted_ Vlad to come back.

…

Ludwig and Miguel returned to Ludwig's realm. Miguel was pleased that he wasn't in any trouble with his master. As Ludwig liked to point out, he could make things very… unpleasant.

They were barely there when Ludwig tensed, baring his teeth. Miguel sniffed the air, and his eyes widened when he realised what it was: another demon. One that _didn't_ belong in Ludwig's home.

A figure stepped out from the shadows, and Ludwig's snarl intensified.

"No need for hostility," the stranger said. "I just want to hear what you've been doing lately."

 **I can't remember whether or not Lovino already knew which angel he was, and I can't find a reference to it. So if I already had a scene where Lovino found out, ignore that. This one is the true reaction.**


	29. Chapter 28

**Thanks to Alica123321, Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, Eurazba, apurehetalian, Mehloveshorror, ScandinavianTrash and Adorable Reader for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 28**

Vlad sighed in relief when Vash's house came into view. He landed as gently as he could, before placing Vash on his feet.

Vlad winced when the three Nephilim landed behind him, _not_ as gently as Vlad did. As gently as _they_ could, which meant that it wasn't gentle at all.

Vash examined the area for a moment, before going to the front door. He knocked gently, and almost immediately the locks and chains were undone before the door opened and someone had crashed into Vash.

"Bruder!" Lili exclaimed. "You're safe!"

Vash smiled softly before stroking Lili's hair.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Vash murmured.

Lili hugged him tighter.

"That's sweet," Alfred said, and the siblings pulled away from each other. Alfred turned to Vlad. "So, what now?"

"Now we wait for Feliks to arrive," Vlad said. "Which shouldn't be…"

Before he could finish, they all felt a gust of wind. They turned to see a large bird, and Vash and Lili held each other closer. The others, on the other hand, had seen it before and immediately knew who it was.

"Yo, Feliks," Alfred greeted. "We were just talking about you."

Feliks changed into his human form, and he smiled brightly.

"Like, sorry if I totally kept you guys waiting," Feliks said.

"No, you were right on time," Vlad said, before he turned to Vash and Lili. "Will you come with us?"

"I…" Vash said, hesitating. "I don't know. Why should we?"

"Dude, he'll teach you how to fly and…" Alfred started.

"Not interested," Vash interrupted.

"I know," Vlad said, sighing. "Vash, may I speak with you in private?"

Vash narrowed his eyes, before he nodded.

"I guess I can do that," Vash said. "It's the least I could do after you saved me. Come on in. I don't like to stand outside like this."

There was a general murmur of agreement, and everyone went inside. Most of the group went to the living room while Lili went to the kitchen, and Vash led Vlad to the dining room.

"Well?" Vash prompted.

Vlad sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"This is going to be hard to swallow," Vlad said, "but you _need_ to come with us, for your sake as well as your sister's. And it's not because of the vampires."

"Demons, right?" Vash said.

"Da. Tell me, what did that other one – The Merchant – do to you?"

Vash looked down, a frown on his face.

"He said a few things," Vash said. "Things that…"

"Got under your skin?" Vlad supplied.

Vash bit his lip before nodding.

"I was afraid of that," Vlad said, leaning against the wall. "I'm assuming some of the things he said scared you, really bad."

"Yeah," Vash said. "But what does it matter?"

"Whatever it is he said, it seriously influenced you. At the moment, you're more likely to become a demon than an angel."

Vash widened his eyes.

"You… you're lying," he said.

"I wish I were," Vlad sighed. "It's important that you come with us in order to prevent that from happening. You'd already be threatened by the demons. Once they figure out how close you are to becoming one of them, they'll flock towards you. And you'd also be putting Lili in danger. But I know how to prevent that from happening."

Vash bit his lip.

"Why are you doing this?" Vash asked. "I don't believe you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart. Everyone always has an ulterior motive."

"You're right," Vlad said, shrugging. "I'm doing this because I was promised something I haven't had in thousands of years: the ability to walk in the sun without being burned. I have to take in and train at least twelve of you. You and your sister are numbers twelve and thirteen. I also have a soft spot for your kind."

Vash blinked in surprise.

"Is that all?" Vash asked.

"That's all," Vlad said. "I just really want to go into the sun again."

Vash stared at him for a moment before he looked down.

"One of the things that vampire told me was that I would kill Lili," Vash said. "Would that actually happen?"

"If you're allowed to turn into a demon, then that might happen. Newly-sired vampires are often less savage than a Nephilim demon. I know that you don't really want any part in this, but at least let me help you get rid of the demon. Because now that it's started, the demons won't stop until they've completely corrupted you."

Vash was silent for a moment before he looked up.

"Alright," he said. "I'll go with you. Just… Please, don't tell anyone about this."

"Of course," Vlad said.

The two of them went towards the others, and they saw that once again Lili had brought some snacks. Vlad immediately grabbed a pastry and dug in.

"You two should pack," Vlad said. "We'll be leaving soon."

Vash and Lili nodded, before they disappeared to their rooms.

"What did you want to talk to him about?" Alfred asked.

"It's not important," Vlad said, reaching for another treat.

"Dude, you've gotta stop keeping secrets."

"There's a reason he does," Lars said. "If we need to know, he'll tell us."

Vlad flashed Lars a grateful look while Alfred pouted. Matthew didn't say anything, preferring to grab a snack for himself, and Feliks had already gotten several and decided to remain quiet.

…

"You're wasting your time," Yao said, having returned to a more neutral form.

Fletcher chuckled.

"Or perhaps we're _buying_ time," Fletcher said. "And let's face it, you have us outnumbered and we're _still_ kicking your butt."

Yao growled, staring at the angels around him. He hated to admit that they were right. Angels were pretty strong.

But he noticed that some of them looked as though they were feeling sick. He had heard that angels couldn't stay in the world for too long, and he smirked when he realised that that was what was happening to them at that moment.

"You're lying," Yao said. "You can't stand strong. Not for much longer. I heard this world has become too polluted for angels. I'm guessing that's true."

Most of the angels stiffened, while a few of them had smirks on their faces.

"Angels of death have no problems about being in this world," Dimitri said. "This is a good climate for us."

"And in case you hadn't noticed, we'd been holding back on killing you," Heracles said. "But now that Vlad isn't in the vicinity, we don't have to hold back anymore."

Yao's eyes widened, and the next round of the battle began.

…

When they were all ready, Feliks transformed into his true form and waited for the Nephilim to climb on. Alfred, Matthew and Lars climbed on without difficulty, while Vash and Lili needed some help.

Vlad stared at Feliks for a moment, trying to determine whether or not he should climb on as well, since he was still a little weak from Katyusha's heavenly light. Eventually he shrugged, deciding that if he couldn't fly anymore he would ride on Feliks. The phoenix seemed to realise what he was thinking and nodded.

Matthew frowned, looking around.

"Aren't we waiting for Fletcher, Dimitri and Heracles?" Matthew asked.

"Dimitri wouldn't be joining us," Vlad said. "And Heracles would join us later. Fletcher would need to return to Heaven in order to recover from being in this world for so long."

Matthew looked disappointed, and Vlad had to hold in a smirk. It would seem that Matthew had already grown attached to Fletcher, accepting their bond as heartwings. And Heracles would try to return to the house as soon as possible in order to reunite with Feliciano.

Vlad could understand, wanting to return to Lovino as well. And he was curious to know how Lovino was acting with their separation.

"Let's go," Vlad said, summoning his wings.

…

Lovino had retreated to the art room. It had gotten late, and he was desperate to stay awake. He didn't want to sleep. Not without Vlad there to chase away his nightmares.

He didn't care that he was dependent on Vlad. He knew that he should be bothered by it, but for some reason he wasn't. He didn't mind having Vlad be there for him.

It was strange. He had always insisted that he preferred to be alone. That he could take care of himself. But it was that attitude that caused him to be captured by those three vampires.

Lovino shook his head at the thought as he continued to attack the canvas. He was also surprised that he turned to art when he was angry or stressed. Art had always been Feliciano's. And it had always been something that frustrated Lovino. But now, probably because he knew that Feliciano was an angel of art and therefore had a natural affinity for it, Lovino could take joy in what he created.

Lovino glanced over towards the previous canvas. He still couldn't quite understand why he had painted Vlad without even thinking about it. He hoped that Alfred didn't see that. Sure, the American had accepted Vlad, but there was a chance that he could still jump to the wrong conclusions. And he would verbally attack Vlad again, treating him with distrust and dislike. Or worse: he could make fun of Lovino for it.

Lovino shook his head. If he knew Alfred, then there was no way that he would even _think_ to come to the art room.

Lovino paused, looking at the canvas to see what he had started to paint _this_ time. It would be embarrassing if he had started painting someone subconsciously again, especially Vlad.

He was relieved and satisfied when he saw that the painting was abstract. That was what he had been going for.

…

Vlad struggled slightly in the air, and Feliks noticed. The phoenix stopped, hovering in the air. Vlad noticed this and smiled, before he went to grasp one of the bird's legs.

The Nephilim had fallen asleep, so Vlad had no reason to worry that they might get worried. Especially Vash didn't have to see Vlad in his weakened state. If Vash figured that Vlad couldn't protect them, it could lead him on the wrong path a lot faster.

"This isn't too heavy for you, is it?" Vlad asked.

 _Like, I can manage. I'll just lose some speed._

Vlad sighed as Feliks took flight again. Indeed, his speed had been affected by the extra weight, but they would still be able to return before sunrise.

Vlad lapsed into his thoughts, thinking about the promise that had been made to him. He had fulfilled his end of the bargain, and now he had to wait for the angels to fulfil theirs. He vaguely wondered how long it would take. Would he be able to see this dawn?

And then his thoughts drifted to Lovino. Was he getting some sleep without the nightmares to plague him? Vlad hoped that that was the case. It pained him to see Lovino so afraid.

Then again, he didn't mind it if Lovino came to sleep next to him.

Vlad felt tired as well and wished he could sleep, but that would be unfair to Feliks. And besides, Vlad had to keep his eyes peeled, just in case someone decided to attack them. Since Feliks had no sense of smell, anything could attack from behind.

And it was the least that Vlad could do to repay his friend for allowing him to rest a while.

…

They returned in the early hours of the morning, and the house was quiet. The five Nephilim riding on Feliks's back were stirred awake, and they didn't appear too happy.

"Try to find an unoccupied room," Vlad said quietly to Lili and Vash. Then he turned to the group as a whole. "Feel free to sleep as late as you want to. You've earned it."

"Dude, you're awesome," Alfred said, before he yawned.

They each shuffled into the house, and all of them went up the stairs, except for Vlad. He lingered at the door, sniffing the air, before he went towards the living room.

The lights were out, but he could clearly see Raj sitting in an armchair, his arms folded. And sitting on the couch across from him was another figure, one which resembled Ludwig.

"Wulfric," Vlad said. "You're the last person I expected to see. Or _wanted_ to."

"Vlad," Wulfric greeted, not smiling at all. He turned to Raj. "Leave us."

Wulfric was an angel of judgement, and was a relative of Ludwig's. He was also the angel who had tried Vlad. The same one that had condemned him to life as a fallen angel.

"I'm not going anywhere," Raj said. "Not unless Vlad asks me to."

Vlad shot Raj a grateful look, but said nothing. His silence told them that he preferred if Raj should stay.

"Why are you here?" Vlad asked, looking at Wulfric. "And I'm surprised you didn't turn on a light."

"I'm not staying long," Wulfric said. "I've come because of our agreement."

…

Lovino yawned, not for the first time. His eyes burned and he _knew_ that he should be asleep, but he didn't want to sleep yet. He didn't want to see _them_.

"Lovino?"

Lovino whipped around, and he could feel his heart soar when he saw Vlad, looking at him with confusion and worry.

"Can't sleep?" Vlad asked.

"It's not 'can't'," Lovino said. "It's 'won't'. I don't want to take a chance."

Vlad nodded, looking as though he completely understood. Lovino examined the other, specifically his chest. He also noticed that Vlad was leaning against the doorframe.

"Were you hurt again?" Lovino asked.

"Nothing serious," Vlad said, shrugging. "Tired, though. What about you?"

Lovino was about to deny it, but he was betrayed by a yawn. Vlad smiled, and Lovino couldn't help but think that it looked _fond_.

"Let's go to bed," Vlad said.

Lovino nodded, abandoning his painting. It was hard to tell what it was at this point in time, and he had a feeling that Alfred or Jason would be able to do something of equal quality.

Vlad went to his room first, and Lovino quickly ducked into his own in order to get dressed in his pyjamas. Once he was finished he went to Vlad's room.

Vlad was already lying on the bed, the sheets pulled aside to allow Lovino to climb in next to him. Lovino blushed as he became aware of what it looked like, but he didn't really care. After all, thanks to Alfred everyone knew that Lovino slept in the same bed as Vlad in order to keep away the nightmares.

Lovino climbed in next to Vlad, and the latter pulled the covers over him. Lovino snuggled against Vlad, and he felt the other hold him close. He closed his eyes and wanted to sleep, but there was still something he wanted to know.

"Why didn't you tell me that I'm the same kind of angel as you?" Lovino asked.

"You didn't want to know," Vlad said. "And it would have been easier to tell you after you've had some more training first. Take it one step at a time. Most of the others don't know what type of angels they are either."

Lovino thought about it. Feliks had mentioned what kinds of angel Alfred and Matthew were to the whole group, and Lovino had been told about Feliciano. But… Now that he thought about it, most of them didn't know what they were, other than angels.

"Anything else you're keeping from me?" Lovino asked.

Vlad hesitated, and Lovino knew that there was _something_. For some reason, he was hurt that Vlad still felt that he had to keep secrets from him. But then he realised that there was no reason for Vlad to tell him anything. Lovino had no privilege to learn anything.

"There's one surprise," Vlad said. "I'll show you tomorrow."

Lovino frowned in confusion, but he was too tired to question Vlad further. He could feel sleep tugging him closer, and he offered no more resistance.

Before he fell asleep, he was almost certain he heard Vlad whisper something, but it could just be a dream.

"I wish I could tell you _everything_."

…

Miguel sat next to Ludwig, looking nervously at his master. Ludwig looked tired and angry.

"What are we going to do now?" Miguel asked.

"Nothing," Ludwig said. "We can do nothing. He has more authority than me, and I am not willing to start a war with him." He sighed. "We'll only scavenge what he leaves behind."

" _Will_ there be something?"

"Ja. He only needs to target one, after all."

…

 _He was wrapped in a pair of strong arms, with a pair of white wings keeping them warm. He looked towards the owner of the arms and wings, only to see a pair of gentle red eyes._

" _Find me in the sun," the other said._

…

Lovino awoke with a start, and he could feel his face heat up. He knew that he had dreamed himself in Vlad's arms, and he _liked_ it. What was wrong with him?

He looked around and panicked when he didn't see Vlad.

 _Find me in the sun._

Lovino frowned. It wasn't possible, was it?

With that in mind, Lovino ran down the stairs, cursing the fact that they were on the third floor. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he hesitated, looking at the front door. He sighed, before he stormed out of it.

As he had suspected, he found Vlad, though he was still standing in the house's shadow. Vlad turned to Lovino in surprise before he smiled.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lovino asked.

Vlad didn't answer, but he took a few steps forward until he was almost in the sunlight. And then he reached out a hand to Lovino.

Lovino frowned, before walking forwards. He was almost next to Vlad when Vlad turned away, extending his hand towards the sunlight.

Lovino expected it to burst into flames, but nothing happened. He heard a relieved and astonished laugh from Vlad, and he took a step further into the light.

Lovino's eyes widened, and Vlad looked at him. Lovino felt his breath hitch when he saw the pure happiness on Vlad's face. It was beautiful.

Lovino saw Vlad walk further into the light, and he gave a small smile. He had experienced three months without sunlight, and he could understand the need to bask. He could only imagine what it was like feeling the sunlight properly for the first time in nine thousand years.

If this was the surprise that Vlad had mentioned, then Lovino was happy. This was one of the best surprises ever.


	30. Chapter 29

**Thanks to Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, CosmicDucks, Mehloveshorror, Adorable Reader, KoonAgeroAgnis, Genevievevictoria, ScandinavianTrash and Alica123321 for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 29**

Lovino giggled as he watched Vlad dancing around in the sunlight, laughing like a little kid. He was quick to cover up that giggle when Vlad looked over towards him, a puzzled look on his face.

"Did you just _giggle_?" Vlad asked.

"N-no," Lovino stuttered, feeling his face heat up.

Vlad must have noticed, for he laughed joyfully at the other's embarrassment, which only made Lovino's blush darken.

"Shut up," Lovino muttered. "You're the one that looks like a damned puppy in the snow."

"If circumstances were just a little bit different, you would have done the same thing," Vlad said.

Lovino knew that it was true. He had felt like dancing the first time he had touched sunlight in three months after his escape, but he couldn't enjoy it because he needed to get as far away as possible from the three vampires. And once he was far enough away (thanks to Vlad flying him to the safety of his old home), it was night, and in the morning the thrill had kind of worn off.

With that thought in mind, he couldn't really blame Vlad for acting like a little kid.

Vlad grinned towards him, and Lovino felt himself blushing a little more. He didn't know what was wrong with him that morning. He blamed Vlad for looking so adorable, a far cry from his sad smiles. Vlad extended his hand again.

"Come join me, Lovino," Vlad said. "Dance with me."

Lovino felt his face heat up more, and to cover it up he placed a scowl on his face.

"F-forget it, you jerk!" Lovino shouted.

Vlad chuckled, before he suddenly sobered up. He looked towards the sky, and Lovino followed his gaze. There, he could see something flying closer, and he rushed over towards Vlad, instinctively latching onto him.

Vlad didn't appear worried, and after a while Lovino realised why, and he blushed in embarrassment. He was also getting annoyed with himself for the amount of blushing he had been doing that morning.

It wasn't long before Heracles landed in front of them, and the fallen angel turned towards Vlad, looking him up and down.

"I see they kept their promise," Heracles said.

"Surprisingly," Vlad said. "I just wish that they didn't send Wulfric to do it."

Heracles winced, before he turned his attention to Lovino. Lovino realised his position with Vlad and quickly stepped back.

"Elizabeta fought against the Trio last night," Heracles said. "She said that she killed two of them."

Lovino's eyes widened, and he latched onto Vlad again, but this time for support. He could feel his knees buckle in relief, and he couldn't help the relieved laughter that bubbled out of his throat.

"I hope she waited until I was long gone," Vlad said, his earlier happiness disappearing, to be replaced by fear and worry.

"We all did," Heracles assured. "We also killed three members of the Dragon Clan, two of the Kirkland Brothers and one of the Nordics."

"I find it ironic, considering the angels wanted the Nephilim to do this."

"Well, in Elizabeta's case, you know that there's no way an angel of war would leave a battle without spilling some blood. And Fletcher and I had the same thought in mind: We need to make things easier for our heartwings."

Vlad closed his eyes, nodding his head.

"I understand," Vlad said.

Lovino felt a pang in his chest. He was reminded of the fact that Vlad hadn't found his heartwing yet, and that if he did, the relationship would be doomed. The demon had cursed Vlad, and his heartwing would reject him.

And what was that feeling that Lovino felt?

"If you don't mind, I think I'll go inside to Feli now," Heracles said, interrupting Lovino's thoughts. "How was he last night?"

It took a moment for Lovino to realise that Heracles was addressing him.

"He was pretty worried about you," Lovino said.

Heracles nodded his head, before he walked into the house.

"Were you worried about _me_?" Vlad asked jokingly.

Lovino spluttered, his face turning red. Again.

"N-no," Lovino said. "Of course not."

"You're a bad liar, Lovino."

Lovino was startled when he heard Vlad's voice, devoid of emotion. It wasn't cold, just… empty.

"Fine," Lovino said. "I was worried. I heard that that one angel you were with was one of the few people that could kill you. And you've already been impaled. Twice. I just… I didn't want you to get hurt again, you jerk."

Vlad gave a small smile, and Lovino's breath hitched.

"That's better," Vlad said. "Thank you for your honesty."

Lovino huffed.

"Why did you make me say all that?" Lovino asked.

"I didn't. I just said that you're a bad liar."

Vlad had a mischievous smile on his face, and Lovino thought that it was unfair that he should blush so much in one morning. He huffed, before turning away and walking back to the house, hearing Vlad chuckle behind him.

…

Lars was watching Vlad and Lovino from the window. He knew that Lovino was Vlad's heartwing, and he gave a small smile at the sight of the two of them together.

He also smiled when he saw Lovino latch onto Vlad, right before Heracles arrived. He chuckled when he saw Lovino step away from Vlad, possibly from embarrassment.

He was curious about what they were talking about, and he wondered if they would find out. He also knew that everyone would be happy to see that Vlad could now walk in the sunlight. After everything Vlad had been through, especially for them, he deserved to have something like this.

Now, if only he would tell Lovino about their connection.

Lars sighed and shook his head, before he made his way out of his room, only to stumble into a shorter form.

The other was sent sprawling to the floor, and it took Lars a moment to realise that it was Vash, the one they had rescued last night.

"Watch where you're going!" Vash snapped.

Lars regarded the shorter male for a moment before extending his hand. Vash stared at the offered hand before accepting it, and Lars helped him to his feet.

"Thanks," Vash muttered.

"No problem," Lars said.

"So, what exactly do we do for food in this place?"

"My sister or Matthew usually makes waffles or pancakes. And we have two Italians handling lunch and dinner, though Matthew would sometimes help as well."

Vash was silent for a moment, as though pondering what he had been told.

"I can live with it," Vash said. "As long as _I_ don't need to cook. I was worried about having some kitchen duty or something."

"The ones that cook are the ones that _want_ to cook," Lars said.

"And… chores?"

"Nope. When Vlad isn't training us, we can do whatever we want. No one's required to do chores."

"…I think I'm going to like it here."

…

At breakfast, Matthew and Bella had apparently decided that they were tired of pancakes and waffles, for they had prepared bacon, eggs and toast, and they had prepared some fresh juice for each of them.

"This is awesome," Alfred said, looking at his brother. "You guys should really do this again."

"Are you saying that you don't like my pancakes?" Matthew asked.

"Or my waffles?" Bella asked.

Both of them had smiles on their faces, but there was a hint of iciness to be spotted on both. And there was also a hint of menace. Alfred, realising that he had stumbled into dangerous territory, quickly thought of something to say to placate the two.

"Not at all," Alfred said, though there was a trace of nervousness in his voice. "I'm just saying that this food rocks, the same way the pancakes and waffles rock. It's something you guys can make again."

"He's saying that you two are excellent cooks," Jason said.

Matthew and Bella eased up, and the temperature in the room seemed to increase, much to everyone's relief.

"Do you think Vlad would like some of this?" Matthew asked, looking towards Lovino.

"Don't know," Lovino said. "Maybe, once he gets back inside."

"What?" Marcello asked. "Vlad's outside? But… _how_?"

"The angels kept their promise," Lovino said, smirking. "Vlad can go out in the sunlight again, after nine thousand years."

"That's awesome," Alfred said, a bright smile on his face. "So, do you think we'll have class outside today?"

Vash shifted nervously, and a few eyes turned to him, but he was largely ignored.

"Vash and Lili would have to do the first few exercises first," Matthew pointed out. "Summoning their wings and retracting them."

"Does it hurt?" Lili asked nervously.

"Not at all," Bella said reassuringly.

"Though we'd recommend that you keep bringing them out and taking them back," Marcello said. "You might develop a rash if you keep them out too long. Isn't that right, Alfred?"

Alfred chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Do we _have_ to do this?" Vash asked.

"It _does_ give you an advantage in case vampires ever attack again," Lars said.

Vash huffed, before he stood from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Lili asked.

"I'm going to find Vlad and have a little _chat_ with him," Vash said.

Lovino scowled, glaring after Vash as he left the room. He didn't want Vlad to have to go through any more grief from one of them, and he didn't trust the new guy yet.

His sister, on the other hand, Lovino could tell would be harmless.

He ignored the sounds of the others as he considered whether or not to follow after Vash.

…

Vlad was lying on the grass, simply basking in the sunlight. He heard someone approaching and sat up. He turned serious when he saw that it was Vash approaching him. He had a feeling that it would be an uncomfortable conversation.

Vash sat down on the grass and sighed.

"Did any of them have the same problem that I have?" Vash asked.

"No," Vlad said. "The one that was the closest to your situation was Lovino. He had been held captive by three vampires for three months. He was their slave. They fed from him, hurt him and… and raped him. But he wasn't anywhere close to being a demon."

"I see," Vash said. "So… I'm just weak."

"No," Vlad snapped, startling Vash. "Thoughts like that would only send you further on the wrong track. I'll admit, it's a mystery how Lovino managed to avoid it. Probably because his angel part is smaller than yours."

"What do you mean?"

"You're half angel. He's only a quarter. His humanity probably gave him extra strength. And it's also possibly because The Merchant knew how to set you on that track, while the Bad Touch Trio didn't."

Vash was silent for a moment, processing his words.

"I suggest you discuss everything with Lovino," Vlad said. "He knows how you felt. He knows what it's like. And he could probably help you get on the right track."

"So, _you're_ not going to do anything to help me?" Vash said.

"One of the best ways to help someone like you is by showing you that you're not alone. That there are others around you, willing to help. Now, go speak with Lovino."

"Okay. And, which one is that?"

"The grumpy Italian."

…

Lovino was working on the canvas again, trying to work through his feelings of anger. He didn't know where they came from, but he knew that he needed to get rid of them, before they caused trouble.

"What got under _your_ skin?"

Lovino stopped, before he turned to see Vash at the door. He could now identify one of the reasons why he was angry.

The accent. Vash's accent was _German_. The same as Gilbert.

"What the hell do _you_ want?" Lovino asked, before he turned back to the canvas.

"Well, at least now I know that you're the right one," Vash said.

"And what the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I was told to look for the grumpy Italian."

Lovino could feel his anger growing, and he turned back to look at Vash.

"And why were you looking for me?" Lovino asked.

"Because I need your help."

Lovino raised an eyebrow, and Vash closed the door behind him, before slumping to the floor.

"I was caught by the vampires," Vash said. "But… one of them isn't really a vampire anymore. And he's working for a demon."

Lovino sighed, before he sat down on the ground.

"And?" Lovino prompted.

"The vampire that captured me – they call him The Merchant," Vash said. "He… he said some things that got under my skin."

"So?"

"Vlad… He said that, because of what he told me, I… I'm on the path of becoming a demon, instead of an angel."

Lovino's eyes widened, and Vash sighed.

"Vlad said that he could help me get back on the right track," Vash continued. "That if I didn't try to do something about it… I could hurt Lili. I don't want anything to happen to my sister."

"I think I get it," Lovino sighed. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to my brothers, either. So, why did Vlad send you to me?"

"Because he told me that you were through a similar experience. Actually, it sounds like you had it worse. I… I want to know how you did it. How did you manage to stay on the right track?"

Lovino huffed, thinking of a good answer. It was hard to explain, and he didn't know how to tell the other Nephilim.

"I think it was because of hope," Lovino said. "And yeah, I know. It sounds corny, but… I kept hoping that my brothers were safe. That they wouldn't be as stupid as I was and let themselves be captured. I also hoped that I would escape. And… I hoped that they would get bored and kill me. But at the same time, I didn't want to give those bastards the satisfaction of breaking me. I wanted to see them get frustrated. I actually got to see it, after I escaped. That was when I met Vlad. When he saved me."

"Did he tell you about what you are?" Vash asked.

"Not at that point. He was more worried about getting me to eat and drink. He used magic to create water – the most delicious water I've ever had. And this bread… It reminded me of when my parents were still alive and my mom would make us some fresh breads every Saturday morning. And then, when those bastards found me, Vlad showed them that he was stronger than them, and he got me to safety. Back then, I thought he was a vampire."

"How'd you trust him so easily, after all you've been through?"

"It was instinct, I guess. Vlad made me feel safe, and… I guess if it wasn't for that feeling, I would have gone along a much darker track. Hell, I might have _found_ some tracks and wait for a train or something."

"I see," Vash said. "So, it was the things that made you happy that helped you stay safe. Um, safe from becoming a demon, at least."

"I guess," Lovino said. "So, bastard. Is there something that makes _you_ happy?"

Vash narrowed his eyes at Lovino.

"For one thing, not being called 'bastard'," Vash said.

"I call everyone 'bastard'," Lovino said, shrugging. "Get used to it. If I call you 'asshole', then you know that I don't like you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Vash said. "And please, don't swear in front of my sister."

"I don't make it a habit to be rude to girls. I also actually _try_ not to swear in front of them. Though sometimes…"

"Try to make that 'sometimes' 'never'."

"Fine. I swear I won't swear in front of your sister. Now, what else makes you happy?"

"Saving money?"

"We don't need money out here, and if we do, well… The Bird Bastard is loaded."

"Good to know. Chocolate?"

"I think there would be in the pantry. Ask Bella. I saw her eating chocolates last night."

"Which one's Bella?"

"The girl with the blond hair. The other one is Michelle, a mermaid."

"Mermaid?"

"Si. She's an old friend of Vlad's, and she actually came to visit the Bird Bastard, but now she sticks around. She and Bella are usually together, being the only girls around and all."

"They'll probably rope Lili in with them," Vash sighed. "Where can I find Bella?"

"If you can find the indoor pool, you might find her," Lovino said. "If not, try the nearby lake. Otherwise, try asking her brothers."

"…It's going to take a while before I know everyone, isn't it?"

"Hey, I'm only around them during mealtimes and if the kid wants to paint something up here when I'm here. But asides from my brothers, I've known Matteo and his brothers since we were kids."

"Matteo? Oh, Matthew. He and his brother helped get me out last night. Wait, there's another brother?"

"Si. He's the one that's trying to look tough, but he's actually pretty nice, once you get to know him. If he's not with my youngest brother, then he's probably out in the garden."

Vash nodded his head, before he stood.

"I'll try to see if I can find Bella," Vash said. "Please, don't tell anyone about… my condition."

"They won't hear it from me," Lovino said.

Lovino knew what it was like to live with what vampires had done to him. And he could understand Vash's need to prevent others from learning about it. He just hoped that it didn't come back to bite him.

…

Vlad had been listening from his spot outside. Sometimes, he was grateful for his advanced hearing. A small smile tugged at his lips.

He had faith in Lovino that he could help Vash. And in turn, Vash would help Lovino. They _all_ would. But it took someone with similar scars to understand the pain they caused, and in turn they knew best how to comfort someone.

And it helped to show them that they were not alone.


	31. Chapter 30

**Thanks to Nonamesan, Zaaze, Snowdin, Olivia Kirkland, FabulousPoland, Atzuyi, Rein of Terror, apurehetalian, CosmicDucks, Mehloveshorror, Adorable Reader and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing. We've passed the 200 review mark. Thanks guys!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 30**

Vash was really surprised when he found the indoor pool, but not as surprised as when he saw Michelle. Lovino had told him that she was a mermaid, and that had slightly prepared him for what he saw. But Michelle definitely had a more elegant air to her than he had imagined.

As he had expected, Lili had been approached by the other two girls, and he could see that she looked nervous while treading water. He was concerned, at least until he saw her reach out to stroke Michelle's tail.

"It's so smooth," Lili said.

She turned to Vash and smiled.

"Bruder, come feel," Lili said.

He glanced over towards Michelle, and she smiled encouragingly, telling him that she had no problem with it. She swam closer to the edge of the pool as he walked closer, crouching down. He placed his hand in the water and reached out for the tail.

"Wow," he whispered.

Michelle beamed, before swimming off to deeper water.

"Is there something that you wanted?" Lili asked.

"I was looking for Bella," Vash said.

"Yes?" Bella asked, swimming closer.

"I was told that you're the one I need to speak to about chocolates?" he said.

Bella beamed in delight, and she climbed out of the pool. Vash could feel his face heat up when he saw her, the bikini she was wearing leaving little to the imagination and the wet fabric clinging to her tightly.

"Let's go," she said, going towards nearby seats and grabbing a towel. She draped it around her body before hooking her arm with Vash's, causing his blush to grow. "So, you like chocolates?"

"J-ja," he stuttered. "I'm Swiss, after all."

Bella giggled.

"Then you're about to enter heaven," she said, pressing closer against him.

Vash could feel his face darkening, and he wondered if Bella was aware of it. He also wondered if she was doing this on purpose.

…

Lovino went outside to Vlad, and he gave a small smile when he saw the other lying spread-eagled on the grass with his eyes closed. He thought for a moment that Vlad was asleep, but knew that it wasn't so.

"Do you want to get sunburnt or something?" Lovino asked.

"Angels, demons and fallen angels can't get sunburnt," Vlad said. "Besides, I've actually been burnt by the sun. You have no idea of the true meaning of 'sunburn'."

Lovino wanted to argue, but remembered that Vlad couldn't enter the sunlight because it burned him. Vampires were set on fire when they went out into the sun.

"Okay, fair point," Lovino said, before he plopped down next to Vlad. "How long are you planning to stay out here?"

"Until the novelty wears off," Vlad said. "Is there something specific you wanted?"

Lovino quickly tried to think of a good reason.

"Why'd you send the new guy to me?" Lovino asked.

"You know what's happening to him, correct?" Vlad said.

"Si. He told me."

"It helps to talk about your turmoil to someone else. Someone who understands. Both of you needed it."

"So, you were trying to play _therapist_?"

"It's the best way to deal with what's been done to Vash. If it was a physical issue, I could just use my blood to heal him. But this is emotional and mental, and has an effect on his very _soul_. He needs to heal, and I sent him to you in order for you to help heal him. And to help you heal a little bit as well."

Lovino was silent for a moment as he processed what Vlad told him. Vlad opened his eyes, looking over towards Lovino.

"Okay," Lovino sighed. "I guess I see your point. So, when are you going to teach us again?"

"Whenever anyone comes to me to ask me to teach them," Vlad said. "So, do you want to learn something new?"

Lovino took a deep breath, thinking carefully.

"Since I'm the same kind of angel as you," Lovino said, "I want you to teach me how to use my power."

Vlad sighed heavily.

"That's going to be tricky," Vlad said. "An angel of life's innate ability is, well… innate. It's something that comes on its own when the requirements are met. For one thing, it needs to be willingly given, and isn't something you're too willing to simply give."

"What do you mean?" Lovino asked.

"Think about my gift. The blood of life. If I want to use it, I need to bleed. And I'm not immune to pain. I also don't particularly _like_ pain, so I try to avoid it. Imagine if it didn't need to be given willingly. How much torture would I go through as people bled me dry?"

"Fair enough," Lovino said. "So, how do I figure out which one's mine?"

Vlad smiled sheepishly, and Lovino narrowed his eyes.

"Trial and error, I'm afraid," Vlad said.

"Is that the _only_ way?" Lovino asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. You need to discover your power by yourself."

Lovino huffed, before lapsing into thought.

"Is it just healing that you can do?" Lovino asked.

"No," Vlad said. "I can also manifest things. Think of the bread and water when we first met. I bent reality for that sake."

"Does that require that you give something else in return?"

"It isn't alchemy. No equivalent exchange is required. I can also revive things. Plants are the easiest. Animals are trickier, but manageable. The problem comes with humans. If you don't revive them within a few minutes after dying, their souls could be lost, and their bodies will be similar to robots. They have all the memories of being human, but they lack emotion. And that is extremely difficult to have around."

"You revived the youngest of the Dutch siblings. So…?"

"He was still dying when I started, and he had been dead for less than a minute. That's safe to do. But when you don't know when someone died, it's too dangerous."

"I see."

"We can also use magic in other forms. Everyone has an element. I use fire magic, for example. You also get water, earth, flora, air, lightning, and blood. I can actually also use blood magic, but I prefer not to."

"So, is that also something you acquire through trial and error?"

"Not necessarily. You can figure it out through meditation."

"Great. So… can we start on that?"

Vlad sat up, looking at Lovino with a concerned expression.

"Is there a particular reason why you're so eager to learn all of a sudden?" Vlad asked.

"N-no," Lovino stuttered, looking away.

Feeling Vlad's intent gaze on him, Lovino sighed, before he looked up.

"I… I want to be able to fight too," Lovino said. "Those first two nights, you fought for _my_ sake. You helped me get away from those bastards. And… the next night, you fought against them again, _and_ those other assholes, and you got hurt because of me. I… I don't want to do that! I don't want to depend on someone else to protect me. And… And I also don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Vlad gave a small smile, before scooting over slightly. Lovino was surprised when Vlad threw his arm around him, but instead of pulling away, he leaned into the hug.

"I've faced worse," Vlad said. "I've endured far more pain. And I would do it all again for your sake. Even if you know how to fight, I will _never_ stop protecting you. And it's alright to depend on someone every now and again. United we stand, after all."

Lovino didn't realise that he had started crying until a tear fell onto the back of his hand. He sniffed, snuggling even closer to Vlad, and the other's hold around him tightened.

"Lovino?" Vlad whispered.

Lovino was a little surprised when Vlad wiped a tear off his cheek, and he examined the finger for a moment. Lovino frowned, the tear flow coming to a stop.

"What is it?" Lovino asked.

"Trial and error," Vlad said, smiling. "It seems like you have the tears of life."

Lovino blinked in confusion, before his eyes widened in understanding. His face also started to heat up. Again.

"W-wait," Lovino said. "Are you saying that I need to _cry_?!"

…

Heracles was sleeping with Feliciano laying on top of him, asleep as well. Anyone walking in on them would think of them as a cute couple. And since everyone already knew that they were heartwings, it wouldn't be too surprising.

Heracles's eyes snapped open in alarm, though he was careful not to wake Feliciano. He glanced over to the side and saw the last person that he _ever_ wanted to see.

"Sadiq," Heracles said coldly. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"Rude as ever, I see," Sadiq said. "No wonder you fell."

"I was _dragged_ , remember? It's all thanks to Natalya… You're just sore about being outmatched by me."

"Do you want another round? Because I can fight you now without risking falling myself."

"No thanks," Heracles said, stroking Feliciano's hair.

Sadiq was watching the scene intently, and Heracles was prepared for an attack, just in case Sadiq decided to provoke a response by attacking Feliciano.

"If you ask me, you don't deserve a heartwing," Sadiq said.

"Well, I _didn't_ ask you," Heracles said. "Did you come just to annoy me?"

"No," Sadiq said, growing serious. "There's trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"More and more demons are coming to this world. And they're staying longer than usual. And…"

Both Heracles and Sadiq tensed when they sensed something. It was something dark, invading the protective barriers. But almost as soon as it appeared, it completely vanished.

"They've also been growing bolder," Sadiq said.

Heracles nodded.

"I'll be sure to tell Vlad about it," Heracles said.

"If he doesn't know already," Sadiq added.

…

Vlad chuckled at the sight of Lovino's mortification, and Lovino was sulking, his face a bright crimson.

Vlad suddenly froze, his eyes wide. They darted to the treeline, before focusing on a specific spot. His eyes widened even further.

"I think it's time to go inside," Vlad said. "The novelty's worn off."

Lovino shot him a look.

"What if I don't want to go back inside yet?" Lovino asked.

"Please."

Lovino's eyes widened slightly when he saw Vlad look at him imploringly, and he nodded his head. The two of them made their way to their feet, and Lovino started walking towards the house, but Vlad stayed for a moment, before following.

Lovino would ask him later, and Vlad would need to think of something that wouldn't cause distress. For _any_ of the Nephilim.

…

Bella smiled as she swirled her tongue around a chocolate truffle, making sure that Vash could see it perfectly. She kept a teasing smile on her face, and she had to try _very_ _hard_ not to smirk every time he blushed.

Bella thought that Vash was pretty cute, and she had asked Lili earlier about what kind of girl her brother liked. Upon finding out that he'd never had a girlfriend, she decided to see if she could charm him.

And so far, it seemed to be working rather well.

Vash was pretty fun to tease, and Bella wanted to know how far she could take it.

He threw his head back, sighing slightly. Her eyes widened when she saw a bruise on his neck, and when she drew closer she could see two small holes.

Vash grew flustered when he saw her drawing closer, his face turning red. This time, however, Bella didn't even bother looking.

"W-what are you doing?" Vash stammered.

"Those vampires…" Bella murmured. "Did they bite you?"

Vash's face went from scarlet to pale, and he gazed down, before nodding his head.

"One of them," Vash said. "He was the one that captured me. I… I don't want to talk about it, if you don't mind."

"Oh," Bella said, a little shaken. "I'm sorry. I understand. But if you _do_ want to talk about it, you can come to me, alright?"

He nodded his head, and Bella smiled.

"Come on," she said. "They'll be starting on lunch soon. We should probably take it easy with the chocolates now."

Vash pouted, and Bella chuckled, thinking that in that moment he looked absolutely adorable.

"Tell you what," she said. "Tonight I'll make some chocolate fondue. How does that sound?"

Vash's face brightened up, and Bella giggled at the display.

…

After Heracles had woken Feliciano, he had gone in search of Vlad. He noticed Vlad enter the house behind Lovino, and the moment the two made eye contact Heracles knew that they had the same subject in mind.

Vlad pulled away, and Heracles followed him into an empty room. Vlad slumped against the wall while Heracles examined the room.

"The phoenix sure has a lot of empty rooms," Heracles remarked.

"He couldn't think of something to use this room for," Vlad said. "But no one is likely to bother us."

Heracles nodded.

"Sadiq came to see me," Heracles said.

"Ouch," Vlad said, wincing. "What did he have to say?"

"The demons are on the move. They've been making more frequent stops here. And they've become bolder. I'm sure you sensed it a moment ago."

"Not just sense," Vlad said. "I _saw_. And their activity isn't random."

"What do you mean? Who did you see?"

Vlad sighed, before fixing Heracles with a level stare.

"Toris," Vlad said.

Heracles's eyes widened. On his own, Toris posed no threat. But when following orders…

And there was only _one_ demon Toris took orders from, despite how meek he might seem.

"Ivan," Heracles said. "Ivan's active."

"And there's more," Vlad said. "He saw me with Lovino."

Heracles sighed, before slumping to the ground.

"We need to increase the protection around this place," Heracles said. "And we can't allow Lovino to go outside."

"He wouldn't appreciate that," Vlad said. "After three months of being held prisoner, he wouldn't like to be told that he has to stay indoors."

"So explain to him why. Once he hears _why_ he has to stay inside…"

"It won't work," Vlad said. "I won't be able to explain that without explaining _everything_. He would be angry and… and he would reject me."

"The longer you wait, the worse it becomes. You know that, right?"

"I know. Hopefully, I never have to tell him."

"Why would you do that?" Heracles asked, frustrated.

"He's been through so much," Vlad said. "To tell him that Ivan might target him because of me… He would feel angry. And he would feel used. And if he knew that he was a target, he would become paranoid of an attack, and that might set him on the wrong path."

"Speaking of which, what are you going to do about the Swiss?"

"I had him socialising with the others. Camaraderie is usually the best defence."

"And speaking of defence… This is going to be painful for the two of us, but we need to do it."

"Perhaps _we_ shouldn't do it. After all, we're not the _purest_ beings, are we?"

"Then what do you suggest?"

…

Gupta had a few books next to him, trying to see if he could find any spells that would be easy for him to cast. Ever since receiving the go-ahead from Vlad, he wanted to learn as much about magic as possible. But he would need to _start_ somewhere.

He looked up when he heard someone entering the room, and he gave a small smile when he saw that it was Vlad, before shifting his gaze towards the books stacked nearby.

"Is this okay?" Gupta asked.

"More than okay," Vlad said. "And they're part of the reason why I came to speak with you."

Gupta raised an eyebrow, and Vlad sighed, sitting down on an empty seat.

"We need more protective spells," Vlad said. "Heracles and I… we're not _pure_ enough to do that. Our status as fallen – _dragged_ – angels prevent that from happening."

"Why would you need another protective spell?" Gupta asked. "Are you _that_ worried about vampires?"

"No," Vlad said. "Not vampires."

Gupta stared at Vlad for a moment, silently begging for an explanation. Vlad sighed, before he turned his gaze to him, completely serious.

"What I'm about to say doesn't reach the others, alright? It's already too risky to tell _you_."

"What are you afraid of?" Gupta asked.

"Demons."

…

Toris returned to his master's realm. He walked towards the throne room, wincing with every step. Demons refused to wear shoes, and it certainly came back to haunt them whenever they stepped on sacred ground. As soon as he was finished, he needed to tend to the burns at the soles of his feet.

Toris walked into the throne room, keeping his head down. Once he was in front of the throne he stopped, before kneeling.

"Toris," his master purred. "You are here earlier than expected. Have you learned something already?"

"Y-yes," Toris said. "I saw Vlad. He was out in the sunlight. Unharmed."

The temperature dropped and Toris shuddered. Those who thought that hell was a fiery inferno had never been to Ivan's realm.

"So, they broke that part of the curse," Ivan said. "I will simply need to recast it then. It should be very satisfying: taking away what he had been yearning for after finally getting it back."

"There's m-more," Toris stammered.

"I would hope so."

"Vlad has found his heartwing."

Ivan was silent, but the temperature rose. Toris dared to glance up, and he saw a smile on his master's face.

"That _is_ good news," Ivan said lowly. "Did he see you?"

"I… I think so," Toris said.

"Pity. So we can't launch an assault just yet. But we can wait. I've waited thousands of years. What does a few days matter? A week? A month? We will wait until his guard is down again. And then, I will have my demon of life, da?"

 **I know of a few theories of hell. One of them is the debate of whether or not it's fire or ice. I also like Sartre's opinion on hell, that hell is other people. So, Ivan is Vlad's hell.**

 **Did you guys get the FMA reference?**

 **And SwissBel. Not all of the Nephilim are heartwings, so normal romance should also be allowed.**


	32. Chapter 31

**Thanks to EllaAwkward, Time Turner, Zaaze, Nonamesan, Dottie, Olivia Kirkland, Alica123321, Mehloveshorror, CosmicDucks, Adorable Reader and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 31**

A week had passed in relative peace. Everyone had gone to Vlad to learn a little more about their angelic heritage, and they all were learning at their own pace. Sometimes they would get together to practice their skills as a group.

Except for Vash.

Vlad kept Vash away from the others as discreetly as possible, and Vash kept his distance, but only when it came to things relating to Nephilim training. He kept close to Lili when he could, and Bella had made it her mission to help him forget about being captured by the vampires. And Vlad had been working on helping Vash get rid of the growing demon half.

And the only one that knew about Vash's problem, other than Vlad and the other non-Nephilim, was Lovino.

Lovino had been helping Vash a few times, but since neither of them were particularly social or patient, it was a little difficult at times. Vlad had a long laugh whenever the two reached the edge of their patience, and they would often start bickering.

When asked why Vlad never stopped their bickering, Vlad had this to say: "It's healthy. Both of them are being challenged at the same level, and they both secretly like it."

Of course, the two of them would deny it, their faces flushed with embarrassment.

…

Vlad, Vash and Lovino were in Vlad's office. Vash was a little tense, since it was the first time that he would summon his wings. They had avoided it until now because Vlad was worried that seeing the wings would discourage Vash.

Lovino was there because he didn't want to be left out.

"Alright," Vlad said. "We've gone through this. Just let it happen."

Vash nodded his head, closing his eyes. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He followed the instructions that Vlad had given him. He allowed his chosen emotion – concern for his sister – to wash over him.

"Hmm," Vlad mused. "There's definitely an improvement."

"How can you tell?" Lovino asked. "This is the first time he's done this."

Vash opened his eyes, and looked over towards his wings. He felt a wave of concern when he saw that they were a shade of grey, neither dark nor light, but still a lot darker than the wings of the other Nephilim.

"Well, at this point he's not in danger of becoming a demon," Vlad said. "In fact, well… Either he's an angel of death or an Outsider."

"Is that bad?" Vash asked.

"The first one, not at all," Vlad said. "Angels of death are a necessary force in the universe, and they get along well with us angels of life."

"And… the second one?"

"Outsiders," Vlad said, his face darkening. "In the War of Heaven, Outsiders refused to take a side. They didn't fight alongside Lucifer, but they also didn't fight with the rest of us. After Lucifer's followers were sent to what would later become hell, the Outsiders were cast out."

"So, there is no room for pacifism, is there?"

"Not in that war. It was an issue of 'you're either with us or against us'. They have no sense of loyalty or camaraderie. And no one knows much more about them. They're shunned by both angels and demons, and fallen angels don't particularly like them either. The fact that they're relatively unknown is a testament to how little they're involved."

Vash was thoughtful for a moment.

"Has there ever been an Outsider Nephilim?" Vash asked.

Vlad shook his head.

"It's an improvement from being a demon," Vlad said. "But I wouldn't recommend that it stays like that."

Vash sighed, before he nodded.

"But it's okay for now?" he asked.

"Just continue with what you were doing," Vlad said. "Why don't you go find Bella or something?"

Vash blushed, but he said nothing. He quickly turned to leave.

"Bring them in," Vlad said. "Just draw them closer to you."

Vash paused for a moment, and Vlad and Lovino watched the wings retract, before Vash continued to leave the room.

"And let them out every now and again to let them breathe, or you'll end up with a rash," Vlad continued. "And don't worry about the others seeing. They won't know the meaning of the colour."

"I'll just make up an excuse if they ask questions," Vash said before he left.

Lovino clicked his tongue, and Vlad groaned as he massaged his temples.

"Is it really bad if he ends up being an Outsider?" Lovino asked.

"I don't know," Vlad said. "Just like how angels and demons avoid them, they avoid us. We don't know what they do. We don't know if they stay together or if they remain apart. We don't know how aggressive they are, or can be. In the nine thousand years since I've fallen, I've only seen one of them. But there are several hundred of them."

Lovino was silent for a moment.

"Basically, the biggest reason why he shouldn't be an Outsider is because you don't know anything about them," Lovino said.

"Pretty much," Vlad said. "I also don't know what would happen if he _does_ become one. And I have no idea what their reaction would be."

Lovino sighed.

"Let's hope the bastard doesn't do anything stupid," he said.

…

Hans was working on a sketch when he suddenly felt arms wrap around his neck. He yelped in surprise and turned around to see Alexandru, who had a bright smile on his face.

"W-what are you doing here?" Hans asked.

"You're my heartwing," Alexandru said simply. "And I feel bad that I didn't get to spend more time with you."

Hans knew full well what being heartwings implied. And he had seen the older Nephilim with their own heartwings. But, wasn't he a little too young for it?

Alexandru seemed to read his thoughts, for his smile fell.

"Don't you want to be my heartwing?" Alexandru asked.

"A-aren't we a little _young_ for that?" Hans asked.

"I don't think so." Alexandru was silent for a moment. "What exactly do you think it means to be heartwings?"

Hans thought about it for a moment.

"Doesn't it mean you're supposed to fall in love?" Hans asked.

"Not always," Alexandru said, dragging himself to plop down on the couch next to Hans. "It mostly means that it's a person without whom you can't live. Like your best friend. Someone you can count on in the bad times. Someone who would hold you when you're scared and tell you that it's alright. Someone who you know will always be there when you need them."

Hans processed the other's words for a moment.

"So, I'm like that to you?" Hans asked.

"Uh-huh," Alexandru said. "We have a natural instinct to want to be together, but because you're a Nephilim you can ignore it a lot easier than I can. The best way to make sure that that doesn't happen is to spend some time together."

"Like playing?"

"Sure. Or… I know! You know how to fly now, right?"

"Well, y-yeah. But, I'm not very good…"

"That's okay. I'll help you. It's better to learn how to fly when you have someone around that could help catch you."

"So, you want to go flying _now_?"

"Why not?"

"Um, well… Fine. Let's go."

Alexandru beamed, and Hans thought that he _wanted_ to get to know the other a little better. He was definitely a cheerful person, and it wouldn't hurt to have someone like that as a friend.

…

Lili was on her way to meet Bella and Michelle so that they could go to the flower field together. Michelle had shown it to them earlier in the week, and they had gone often since then.

As she rounded a corner she bumped into a taller figure, and she yelped as she started to fall backwards, but two hands grabbed her upper arms and steadied her.

"I'm so sorry," the other person said. "Are you alright?"

She looked up to see who she had bumped into, and she blushed when she realised that it was Henri, Bella's little brother.

"I'm fine," she said quietly.

Henri smiled in relief, and she found herself giving a small smile as well.

"So," Henri said, a small dusting of pink on his own cheeks, "where are you off to?"

"I'm on my way to the flower field," Lili said. "You're welcome to join us."

"Us?"

"Your sister and Michelle. And, me, of course."

Henri looked thoughtful for a moment, before he shook his head.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Henri said. "Have fun."

Lili stared in disappointment as Henri continued on his way and she sighed, going on her own way as well.

Henri didn't want to go, because he knew that Bella would tease him relentlessly. Or she might decide to play matchmaker. That was also something he didn't want.

…

Heracles was sleeping, which seemed to be what he had been doing a lot of lately. He blamed the extra security. It was draining his energy, and he wasn't particularly energetic to begin with.

Vlad had been feeling the effects as well, but he had more energy reserves than Heracles. It helped that Vlad had been sleeping for twenty years. But he was definitely sleeping at night, which he normally wouldn't need to do after having slept for so long.

Heracles woke up when he sensed a rapidly approaching presence, and a moment later Feliciano bounced on the bed on top of him.

"Ve, it's almost lunchtime," Feliciano said. "Get up. I worked hard on the pasta."

Heracles yawned.

"What kind of pasta?" he asked.

"Ve, it's Greek pastitsio."

Heracles blinked in surprise before he gave a lazy smile.

"Did you make it because I'm Greek?" Heracles asked.

Feliciano averted his eyes, a small blush on his face.

"Ve," he said, "are you mad at me?"

"Of course not," Heracles said. "We're heartwings, after all."

Feliciano smiled, before his eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said. "Vlad taught me a new trick yesterday."

Heracles waited patiently as Feliciano centred himself. Suddenly the entire room appeared to have changed colour, and Heracles watched in astonishment. He saw Feliciano sway slightly, before he grinned.

"Ve, isn't it neat?" Feliciano asked.

"It's a nice ability," Heracles said. "You may just want to work on your colour coordination."

"Yeah," Feliciano said sheepishly, wincing at the sight that greeted him. "I'm still working on controlling _which_ colours come out."

"You'll get the hang of it," Heracles said, standing up. "Now, come on. I'm eager to taste that Greek pastitsio of yours."

…

Vash blushed furiously as he sat at the lunch table, glaring at all of the other males in attendance. Bella had dragged him along to the flower field, and she, Lili and Michelle had conspired against him.

They had woven him a flower crown, one which he was _still_ wearing because he didn't want to hurt either Lili or Bella's feelings by ripping it off. So he had to be content with glaring at the others, most of who were trying – and failing – to hide their snickering.

"You look so handsome, Bruder," Lili said innocently.

Vash glared towards Alfred, who let out a loud snort which managed to sound like a sneeze. He also became aware of his anger and shifted his gaze towards Heracles, who didn't seem too bothered.

Throughout the entire week, Heracles and Vlad had kept a close eye on Vash. If something happened that could affect him negatively, one of them would interrupt as subtly as possible and Vash would retreat somewhere to calm down.

The fact that Heracles did nothing to stop this was a sign that it wasn't a problem. So even if Vash didn't like it, he wouldn't become a demon from this.

"Hey," Marcello said suddenly, "has anyone seen Hans?"

…

Hans still faltered every now and again, but whenever that happened Alexandru would fly under him, ready to catch him in case he fell. But the two of them retained their wide smiles throughout the flight.

Hans's eyes widened, and he faltered yet again.

"Alex!" Hans exclaimed.

Alexandru's eyes widened, and in the next instant Hans plummeted downwards, his wings too tired to continue flying. Alexandru managed to catch him just in time, and the two gently floated towards the ground.

"I've got you," Alexandru said gently to Hans.

Hans smiled and retracted his wings. The two of them touched ground and plopped down. Alexandru retracted his own wings as well.

"I guess you can't go too far yet," Alexandru said. "I'll be sure to apologise to my brother."

"Hey, Alex," Hans said. "I get why Vlad is like a vampire, but… why are you?"

"Oh, we were like this _before_ vampires even existed. There were a bunch of angels that looked like us, but… most of them fell or died in the War of Heaven."

"Did a lot of people die?"

"Da… There are only a few angels that can kill a specific angel, but there were a few cases where they battled each other. They seemed to be drawn to them. My brother has three that can kill him. Elizabeta was on the same side, so that wasn't an issue. Ludwig knew that Lucifer was interested in my brother, so he didn't even try. And Ivan… He made it his mission to get Vlad on the same side as them, by any means necessary."

"Do you have anyone that can kill you?"

"Of course. I…"

Alexandru cut himself off, and he immediately jumped up into a standing position, moving in front of Hans. Hans was confused, but then he saw someone approaching out of the shadows of the trees.

"A-Alexandru?" the other stuttered.

It looked like a boy a few years older than them. The thing that drew Hans's attention was the fact that this person didn't wear any shoes.

"Raivis," Alexandru spat. "What are you doing here?"

Hans was concerned. Who was this person that had Alexandru acting so… hostile? There was even a snarl on the angel's face.

The other person, Raivis, smiled brightly, and Alexandru tensed further.

"It's about time," Raivis said. "I've been waiting for someone to leave the boundary for a few days. I hoped you enjoyed your flight."

Raivis turned his attention to Hans and cocked his head to the side.

"I never thought that _you'd_ get a heartwing, though," Raivis said. "And a Nephilim, no less. You know that he'd have to grow up, right? It would look weird then."

"Running your mouth like always," Alexandru said. "You never know when to shut up. So, where are the other two? Aren't you part of the 'trembling trio'?"

"I've had time to get my body temperature up," Raivis said. "And Toris and Eduard have other errands."

"And what's _yours_?"

"Ivan has a message for Vlad. 'Enjoy your last days. Because when they're over, you'll have nothing but night.' Those are his direct words."

Hans's eyes widened. He had heard the name 'Ivan' before. Did that mean…?

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Alexandru demanded.

"You don't need to be so mean," Raivis said, before shifting his attention to Hans again. "You know, I know a few others that like to eat people like him. Without you or Vlad or Heracles or…"

"Shut up! You're not getting _near_ him!"

Raivis shrugged.

"I'm just making an observation," Raivis said. "Well, see you soon."

Hans gasped when the other summoned large, black batwings, before taking flight. It was then that Hans noticed Alexandru tremble.

"For him to _fly_ in broad daylight…" Alexandru mused.

"W-was that a d-demon?" Hans asked, scrambling to his feet.

"Da. Raivis. He's one of Ivan's henchmen."

"But… he didn't seem… _evil_."

"There are many kinds of demons," Alexandru said. "Raivis is the type that lures you in with his helpless act. He's also a blabbermouth, and he lacks a brain-to-mouth filter. The casual way he says things is how he gets under others' skin. As far as I know, he's not particularly sadistic, but other demons use his… appeal to attract victims."

Hans swallowed nervously.

"What did he mean with 'boundary'?" Hans asked.

"The area around the house has been turned into sacred ground," Alexandru explained. "Demons can't go there. It's making my brother weaker, but he's doing it for your protection."

Hans grew alarmed, and Alexandru turned towards him, face completely serious.

"We need to get you back," Alexandru said. "And I'll need to tell my brother about what happened."

…

Lovino went up to see Vlad after lunch. He was curious about where Vlad had been during lunch.

He was a little surprised to see Vlad sound asleep in his room, though he looked anything _but_ peaceful. Lovino frowned, before walking closer.

He had discovered that when Vlad was in a deep enough sleep he could not control his contact telepathy, and Lovino intended to use it to his advantage to see what Vlad was dreaming about. Usually, it was a memory.

Lovino reached out to touch Vlad, and in an instant his mind was transported elsewhere.

…

 _He found himself in a stunning street, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't admire the scenery. Nearby were three figures. One he recognised well, and another he had seen a few times, but the third was a mystery._

 _Ivan had Vlad pinned against a wall, a hand wrapped around his throat while the other figure sighed._

" _Don't kill him, Ivan," the mystery figure said. "You have the power to do that, remember?"_

" _Da," Ivan said. "I remember."_

" _Well, Vlad?"_

 _Vlad glared at the mystery figure._

" _My answer is no, Lucifer," Vlad said. "I will not betray the King."_

 _Lovino's eyes widened in surprise._ That _was Lucifer?_

 _Lucifer sighed, before he gave a lazy smirk._

" _You will," Lucifer said. "Or perhaps, he would betray you first. Now remember, not a word of this to anyone else."_

 _Lucifer turned and left, but Ivan remained, pressing closer to Vlad._

" _Prince Lucifer always gets what he wants," Ivan said. "And he wants you. And I'm going to help him get you."_

" _That is_ never _going to happen," Vlad spat._

" _We shall see, angel of life."_

 **I wanted to expand more upon the memory, but I ran out of space and time. So more will be added next chapter.**


	33. Chapter 32

**Thanks to Olivia Kirkland, Zaaze, ScandinavianTrash, EllaAwkward, KoonAgeroAgnis and Adorable Reader for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 32**

Lovino gasped as he was suddenly thrust from the memory, and he found himself on the floor. It took him a moment to orient himself. He looked upwards and flushed when he saw Vlad looking down at him.

"Did you enjoy that?" Vlad asked.

Lovino felt frightened. Vlad's face and voice were void of emotion, and his eyes were blank.

"S-sorry," Lovino said. "I… I was curious."

"There are some things that you'd be better off _not_ knowing," Vlad said.

Lovino was silent for a moment.

"So… that was Lucifer?" he asked. "Il diavolo?"

"I guess you could call him that," Vlad sighed. "The things he did to others…"

"W-what was that about?"

Vlad was silent for a moment before he sighed.

"He was preparing his army," Vlad said. "He wanted a revolution. But injured soldiers are useless. Unless there was someone that could heal their wounds."

"He wanted you as their medic," Lovino said in realisation.

"I guess you could say that," Vlad said. "He chose me because the blood of life lingers in the bloodstream for a little longer, allowing whoever had it to be healed from any injuries they'd obtain after the first time I healed them."

"And that memory… that was when he tried to approach you."

"It was the first time, yes."

" _First_ time? There were more?"

"Da. A _lot_ more."

Before Lovino could ask anything else, someone burst into the room. Lovino scrambled to his feet and was surprised to see Vlad's little brother.

"Alexandru?" Vlad asked. "What's going on?"

Alexandru shot Lovino a look before turning back to his brother.

"I need to speak with you," Alexandru said. "It's urgent."

"Lovino, could you give us a moment?" Vlad asked.

Lovino silently nodded, but before he could leave Alexandru rounded on him.

"Hans is in the art room," Alexandru said. "Go check on him."

Lovino nodded, before making a hasty exit. He had a feeling he didn't want to know what the two brothers would be discussing.

He decided to see what Hans was doing and went to the art room. However, he didn't expect to see the other pacing around, digging his fingers into his scalp.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lovino asked.

Hans jumped, before turning to Lovino with frightened eyes. To Lovino's surprise, he ran over towards him and threw his arms around his waist.

"O… kay…" Lovino said. "What happened?"

"I… I went flying with Alex," Hans explained. "And… we met a demon."

Lovino's eyes widened.

"Did it hurt you?" Lovino asked.

"N-nein," Hans said. "He… He said that he had been waiting. They can't get close because Vlad set up a boundary. It's making him weak to use it."

"W-what else did the demon say?"

"T-that he knew other demons that liked _eating_ people like us. But… that's not the worst part."

"What do you mean?"

"That demon works for the demon that made Vlad fall."

Lovino's eyes widened, and Hans's grip around his waist tightened.

"Ivan," Lovino whispered.

…

Vlad was silent. Alexandru had told him about the encounter with Raivis, and he was trying to decipher the message.

"This is bad," Alexandru said.

Vlad nodded his head.

"Ivan knows where we are," Vlad said. "Toris must have told him."

"You need to move," Alexandru said.

"I can't. I need to train the Nephilim."

"Then take them with you!"

"I can't! They would strike when they get the opportunity. And the best opportunity would be when we're on the road. They're not ready to fly long distance yet, and even if they were, Ivan would use the opportunity to get to them. Especially Lovino."

"Because he's your heartwing."

Vlad nodded his head, and Alexandru sighed.

"Basically, what you're saying is that it's safest if everyone stays here," Alexandru said.

"Da," Vlad said. "It's not ideal, but…"

"It's the best we have. We can add more barriers, and we could ask a few angels to help guard it."

"As much as I hate the idea, we would have to go through with it."

"The fact that you've turned this place into sacred ground helps angels stay longer. I'll speak with Alice and Nora. I'm sure they'll be happy to stay here."

"And maybe the two of them could take turns," Vlad said, smiling brightly. "That way, we won't have to ask anyone else."

"I'm willing to stick around because of my heartwing," Alexandru pointed out. "Does anyone else have a heartwing?"

"Well, obviously me. And then there's Heracles, but he's always here. Then we have Fletcher and Jack."

"Those two as well? Well, I think we have enough angels to act as guards. I think you should focus on teaching the Nephilim, so that they could fight back as well."

"I don't _want_ them to fight," Vlad said. "Not against Ivan."

"Okay, so Lovino is the one in obvious danger," Alexandru said. "Anyone else?"

"Feliciano and Marcello. They're Lovino's brothers, and Ivan might use them to draw Lovino towards him. Vash has already been targeted by demons before, so they might come after him again as well. And then the others wouldn't really be of any interest to Ivan. _Maybe_ to anyone he decides to approach with this."

"Would he?"

"His lackeys are obvious choices. But I don't think he'll use others. Maybe Ludwig, but that's a longshot."

"…How do you think he found out about you?"

Vlad sighed.

"My first explanation would be Ludwig," Vlad said. "But I think it started with a whisper. Yao had enquired about me in the underworld, after all. And I had seen and smelt traces of demons before my encounter with Ludwig."

Alexandru sighed.

"The Nephilim would need to know," he said. "They need to be made aware of the danger."

Vlad sighed.

"I know."

…

Vash was looking for Bella. He wanted to be in her company, or at least to see what she was doing.

He decided to look in the kitchen, and as soon as he crossed the threshold he was hit with a rich aroma that took his breath away.

Bella turned around and smiled, standing in front of the stove with a pot. From the pot, Vash could clearly hear that something was boiling.

"Hallo, Vash," Bella said.

"W-what are you making?" Vash asked.

"Chocolate. I learned how to make it a while ago, but there was never enough cocoa around. And Feliks has all sorts, and an endless supply of everything. He even has cocoa beans!"

"It smells good," Vash said. "Do you have moulds or something?"

"Yes. You know, for someone that doesn't need to eat all that often, Feliks is very well-supplied."

…

Feliks was working on a shirt for Alfred when Vlad arrived. Feliks turned to Vlad, an eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"You _really_ enjoy having new mannequins," Vlad said, looking at the piles of clothes.

"Like, I _never_ get the chance to make clothes for other people," Feliks said. "So, like, what do you need?"

"I need your bird's eye view."

Feliks turned serious.

"What's up?" Feliks asked.

"Alexandru ran into a demon while he was out flying with Hans," Vlad said. "It was one of Ivan's."

"Damn. And you and Raj like can't smell them?"

"No. The barrier's been strengthened to the point where we can't smell something unless we're close to the edge of it."

Feliks nodded his head in understanding.

"So, you totally want me to scope out the area," Feliks said. "Like, how big of an area and how often?"

"The entire forest, if you can," Vlad said. "And it might be good to go flying every hour or so. Just in case."

Feliks nodded, standing up.

"Looks like these clothes are totally going to have to wait a while," Feliks sighed.

…

Lili smiled, standing in front of the mirror. Feliks had made her a sundress, which she was currently admiring.

Feliks had apparently decided that she was best suited for a cute, elegant style. Besides the sundress, she also had some cute shirts and skirts. Many of them were pastel colours, but the darker colours were shades of pink and purple.

She wondered where Feliks learned to make all of that, and made a mental note to ask him sometime. She would also like to ask him what he intended to make for her brother.

…

"Alright," Alfred said, sticking his tongue out as he mashed at the controller. "You're going down."

"Not likely," Jason said.

The two of them were playing an FPS, with Alfred being a lot better at it than Jason. Jason wasn't really interested, but he was the only one willing to play with Alfred, asides from Matthew.

And Matthew was a little _too_ good at these games.

"Alright!" Alfred shouted. "I won again."

"Uh-huh," Jason said, clearly bored. "Well, I think it's time for you to start playing solo again. I'm going outside."

"Sure," Alfred said distractedly.

Jason sighed before he left his brother to his own devices.

…

Gupta sighed contentedly, putting yet another book aside. Now, he could start a new one.

All of these were books relating to the mystical. Creatures, spells, and history. These were books that one would never expect to see in human libraries. Some of them were even hand-written.

He had asked Feliks about them, and the phoenix responded that some of the books had been written by Nephilim who were trying to process all that they had learned about life outside the human field. Reading all of those books… It made Gupta feel more connected to his angelic heritage than even Vlad's training.

Gupta walked over towards the bookshelf and picked out another book. As he curled up to read, the author of the book caught his eye, and he blinked in surprise.

 _Vlad Lupenesku_.

…

Michelle and Raj were over by the lake. Michelle was swimming, while Raj was simply soaking up the sun. The two were content with simply being around each other.

Raj was startled by a shadow in the sky, and he scrambled up into a sitting position. His eyes narrowed when he made out the shape.

"What's wrong?" Michelle asked, looking at him with concern.

"Feliks," Raj explained. "There's something going on."

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"He's in his true form."

…

Lars was in the training room, simply exercising by doing push-ups. He had spent a long time training his body in order to hunt vampires. It was not a habit that he was about to break, simply because he wouldn't be going out every night to hunt vampires anymore.

And they were supposed to be training in order to kill the vampires, since the humans weren't doing a fine job of it and the angels couldn't stay in the world long enough. Either that, or they were just unwilling. He knew full well that the angels intended to use them for something that they couldn't do themselves.

But Vlad had offered them something that the angels didn't even take into consideration: a choice.

Vlad had clearly stated that he would teach them, but it was their choice whether or not they wanted to learn. He also said that it was their choice whether or not they wanted to fight against the vampires.

The angels had betrayed Vlad. He wasn't about to go along with their plans one hundred percent. And the angels wouldn't _dare_ try to _force_ the Nephilim to go through with it. It would be counterproductive from their end.

Lars had already made it his mission in life to hunt the vampires, so he had no problem with the arrangement. Though he would prefer if Bella and Henri stayed out of it.

He wondered how long it would take for them before they were considered 'ready' to fight against the vampires. He, Alfred and Matthew had done pretty well, though they weren't allowed to split up, and Fletcher had kept a close eye on them.

Lars sighed, thinking that he had done enough physical training for the day. He would probably go look for Vlad now for some Nephilim training.

As he turned towards the door, he was surprised when he saw that someone was already there. The other person jumped in surprise when Lars caught sight of him.

"Matthew," Lars said. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"O-oh," Matthew stuttered. "I just… I was thinking of doing some exercise and I saw you, and… That's impressive."

Lars shrugged, before looking at the room as a whole.

"It would be better if they could arrange some equipment," Lars said. "But this room is still nice and quiet."

"Yeah," Matthew said. "So, where are you off to now?"

"I'm going to find Vlad," Lars said.

Matthew nodded his head, giving Lars a small smile before the latter left, on his way to find their teacher. And he couldn't help but wonder what Matthew did for exercise.

…

Vlad was in the study, but he wasn't alone. Alice, Nora, Alexandru, Jack, Fletcher, Jett and Heracles were there as well.

"So, Ivan knows where you are," Alice said.

"Da," Vlad said. "I don't exactly know how, but it's happened. And now we need to fortify this place."

"Fortifying it won't work," Nora said. "He'll find a way. He always finds a way."

Vlad sighed.

"I know," he said. "We just need to train the Nephilim until they are no longer in danger, and then we could change location."

"What about simply transporting this place across dimensions?" Jett asked.

"It won't work," Fletcher said. "This place had been standing in this spot for too long. The only things that haven't merged with everything else are the people that live here."

"True," Vlad said. "This place has a lot of magical roots, which increases the inability to move it. The only way to disconnect it from everything is to destroy it. But that's not what we want either. Until we can think of a good solution, I want you guys to act as the guards of this place."

"Of course," Alice said, a gentle smile on her face. "We wouldn't allow anything to happen to these children."

"And we'll chase away any demon that we encounter," Jack said. "Some of us have heartwings here. We don't want any of them to be in danger."

"We will help you as much as possible," Fletcher said.

Heracles yawned.

"I'm sure you can forgive me for not taking part in guard duty," Heracles said.

"Of course," Vlad said. "The two of us will take care of the Nephilim from inside the boundary."

Heracles nodded his head in agreement.

"Are you sure that's wise, in your weakened state?" Jett asked.

"It drains us, yes," Vlad said. "It drains our energy, and the strength is weaker than normal. But we have other ways to protect what's important to us."

Heracles nodded his head. Vlad smiled as the others started to make arrangements among themselves. But the smile soon fell, and his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

…

It was late at night, and everyone had already gone to sleep. Except for Vlad, who was thinking about everything that had transpired that day.

Lovino was asleep in his arms, and Vlad didn't want to leave him. But he had no choice. He needed to protect them. Protect _him_.

As gently as he could, Vlad climbed out of the bed without waking Lovino. Shooting him one final glance, Vlad started to make his way towards the front door.

"Where are you going?"

Vlad spun around and saw Heracles leaning against the wall.

"I'm just going out for air," Vlad said.

"You're no longer bound by night," Heracles said. "You could have gone out in the day if you needed 'air'. And besides, it's the oldest excuse in the book."

Vlad sighed.

"You're going to try to negotiate, aren't you?" Heracles asked.

"Something like that," Vlad said. "I just… I need them to be safe."

"I understand. But this is suicide."

"No, it's not. Ivan doesn't have a shred of mercy."

"And think about what might happen to Lovino."

"If all goes well, he would be safe."

"How do you think he would feel?"

"It wouldn't matter. He doesn't know. He shouldn't be worried."

Heracles sighed.

"I won't stop you," he said. "But I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I," Vlad muttered.

Vlad turned around, and continued on his way outside.

The air was bitingly cold, and he knew that that was enough of a warning for him. He looked around, trying to figure out which direction he should go in. Making a choice, he started running.

He knew that Nora was the one standing guard now, but he couldn't allow her to stop him. He _needed_ to do this, otherwise Lovino would be in grave danger.

He stopped a distance away from the boundary, waiting. They would find him. He already knew that.

The scent of smoke and old blood arrived before they did. Ivan's three servants: Toris, Raivis and Eduard.

"Vlad," Toris said. "You're a fool to come here of your free will, _knowing_ that we know you're here."

"How am I a fool if I came here of my own free will?" Vlad asked. "I'd like to speak to Ivan."

Eduard snorted.

"You truly are a fool," he said.

The temperature dropped, and Vlad could sense something large behind him. He resisted the urge to turn around, knowing who it was.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Ivan asked. "That's odd. You're usually running away. Or trying to."

"And you usually don't send messages ahead of time," Vlad said.

Vlad felt a weight on his head, and it took all of his willpower to not try to flee. He couldn't stop the hairs at the back of his neck standing on end, though.

"So, what did you want to speak to me about?" Ivan said.

"Get it over with," Vlad said. "I have more important things to occupy myself with."

Vlad knew that Ivan didn't like that based on the drop in temperature, but this was necessary.

"You're not going to penetrate the boundary," Vlad continued. "You're just wasting all of our time."

"And yet, you came out to see me," Ivan said.

Vlad didn't answer. The five of them remained quiet for some time.

"Your heartwing is in there," Ivan whispered. "That's why you're willing to come see me."

"It doesn't matter," Vlad said harshly. "He doesn't know he's my heartwing. And I'm not going to tell him."

"So funny," Ivan said, amusement in his voice. "So, you want me to leave."

"I'll let you torture me, like you always do. Just leave. You know that I'm not far from becoming a demon."

"Oh, but I already have a way to torture you. I can't go in. He can come out."

Vlad gasped, and the weight on his head was lifted. The temperature went up, and he knew that Ivan was gone.

Toris sighed, before he gave Vlad a pitying look.

"You shouldn't have come," Toris said. "You just gave him the fuel for the fire."

The other two nodded, and the trio disappeared. Vlad sank to his knees.

He had hoped to convince Ivan to torture him and leave. It had happened before, when Vlad was training Nephilim. Ivan had snatched him, tortured him and returned him, without showing interest in the Nephilim. But now…

As he had told Heracles earlier, Ivan didn't have a shred of mercy.

 **Hans had time to process the encounter and realise just how much danger he was in and how much all of them still are, and that's why he's scared.**


	34. Chapter 33

**Thanks to Awia, Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, EllaAwkward, KoonAgeroAgnis, ScandinavianTrash and Adorable Reader for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 33**

Lovino awoke in the middle of the night, completely alone. He frowned, wondering where Vlad had gone, but pleased that he didn't get nightmares without the other's presence.

He thought about it for a moment before climbing out of bed, deciding that he would go search for Vlad. He wasn't sure why, but something about this seemed completely wrong.

He at first went to the study, then the art room, before deciding to search the entire third floor. His search yielded no results, and he was on his way to the second floor when he saw someone coming up the stairs. He waited for a while, and he felt relieved when he saw that it was Vlad.

"Where the hell were you?" Lovino demanded.

Vlad looked surprised for a moment, before he threw his arms around Lovino. The Italian was about to argue when he felt Vlad trembling.

"What the hell is going on?" Lovino asked, his anger diminishing slightly in favour of concern.

Vlad held onto him tighter, but he didn't answer. Lovino started to feel a little scared. What could have caused Vlad to be so afraid?

…

The next morning, Vlad had joined them all for breakfast, which was odd since even after he had regained the ability to go into the sunlight he didn't join them for breakfast, or lunch for that matter. And it was only very rarely that he would join them for dinner.

"So," Alfred said, "I think we should have a barbecue today. What do you guys think?"

"Sounds great," Jason said.

"It would give us a break," Lovino said.

"And it would be nice to spend some time outside," Matthew said.

"No."

Everyone turned to regard Vlad, who looked at them a little _too_ seriously. None of them had expected him to deny them like that.

"None of you should go outside," Vlad continued. "It's not safe."

"What do you mean?" Lars asked.

Gupta narrowed his eyes slightly, but said nothing.

"Last night, I ran into a few demons," Vlad said. "They're watching this place. Waiting."

Everyone's eyes widened. Heracles sighed.

"We've already fortified this place," Heracles said. "But Vlad's right. It's best that you stay inside."

"Is that where you were last night?" Lovino asked.

Vlad nodded.

"How many are there?" Marcello asked, looking nervous.

"At the moment, four," Vlad said.

"Is it… _him_?" Hans asked nervously.

Vlad sighed, before nodding his head. Everyone was silent for a while.

"What does he want?" Vash asked.

"He wants to torture me," Vlad said. "And he intends to use you to achieve it."

" _All_ of us?" Bella asked.

"Da. All of you."

There was another moment of silence.

"What are we going to do?" Alfred asked.

"We're going to continue with your training," Vlad said. "As long as you stay inside, there shouldn't be a problem. There's a barrier outside, but to be safe it would be better not to test it, unless you have me, Heracles, Feliks, Raj or Michelle with you, since we can sense where the barrier is."

"Will training us really make a difference?" Matthew asked worriedly.

"If anything, it would help you get to safety," Vlad said. "And there's nothing else we can do, I'm afraid."

"Maybe he'll get bored?" Alfred said hopefully.

"We're talking about the bastard that's been torturing him for _thousands_ of years," Lovino said, ignoring Vash's glare. "There's no way that he'd get bored of waiting."

"But we'll be safe if we stay inside?" Lili asked.

"You should be," Vlad said.

" _Should_?" Vash repeated.

"Ivan is resourceful and, for lack of a better word, sneaky. He also has Toris and Eduard as his minions. Eduard was an angel of scholars. He is incredibly smart. And Toris used to be an angel of war, though he focused more on the tactical aspects of war. There's also Raivis, who is a master of deception."

"The three of them have a bit of sympathy for Vlad," Heracles said. "But they won't show any mercy towards any of you."

"Why do they have sympathy for him?" Henri asked.

"Because they didn't side with Lucifer," Heracles explained. "They became demons after the Fall. Ivan dragged them down, and then moulded them to his will. The same thing he's been doing to Vlad for the last nine thousand years."

"Except I've been holding out a lot longer than they were able to," Vlad said. "And you're wrong. They don't _always_ sympathise with me. Sometimes they feel sorry for me because they were through it as well. But sometimes they resent me for being stronger than they were."

"And what will they do to us?" Bella asked.

"If you run into Toris, Eduard or Raivis, they will hand you over to Ivan," Vlad said. "If Ivan has you, he will most likely work on tearing you down, body, mind and spirit."

"And then there's also Natalia to worry about," Heracles said.

"I didn't see her," Vlad said.

"Who's Natalia?" Alfred asked.

"Ivan's sister."

"And the one that had dragged _me_ down," Heracles sighed.

"W-wait," Feliciano said, looking at Heracles with concern. "Are you saying that she'll hurt you too? Like how Vlad's hurt by that scary one?"

"No," Heracles said. "Natalia has no interest in me. She just did it for fun."

Feliciano gave a relieved smile. Vash cocked his head to the side.

"How does he know that that demon is scary?" Vash asked.

"It's Feliciano," Lovino explained. "He made his own assumptions. But he's right. That bastard is damn creepy."

"How do you know?" Henri asked.

"I saw a few of Vlad's memories by accident," Lovino explained. "And in some of them I saw _him_."

"Da," Vlad said. "He wasn't very sane as an angel, and he's even less so as a demon. If he hadn't sided with Lucifer, he would have still fallen afterwards, since the concept had appeared after The Fall."

"So before that, there wasn't such a thing as a demon," Gupta said, nodding in understanding.

Vlad sighed.

"I want you all to come to me one by one," Vlad said. "That way, we can focus on your individual talents. This is no longer about the angels' will. This is about your own survival. I don't want any of you to fall in Ivan's clutches."

"We've already asked a few friends to help us," Heracles said. "We're trying our hardest to make sure that you'll stay safe."

"There is nothing that we wouldn't do to protect you," Vlad said. "You have my word."

…

As was normal, Lovino was the first to go to Vlad. Vlad was both happy and sad, since it meant that Lovino trusted him the most. And Ivan could use that trust to destroy them.

"So," Lovino said, "what are we doing?"

Vlad sighed, going towards a shelf. He opened a small box, removing an egg. He placed it on the desk, and Lovino looked at him with confusion.

"This is a robin's egg," Vlad said. "Unfortunately, the chick had died inside the egg, before it was ready to hatch. I want you to bring that bird to life and then I want you to make the egg hatch."

Lovino stared at him blankly.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Lovino asked.

"First, take the egg in your hands," Vlad said. "Like you would an injured bird."

Lovino did so, feeling strange about holding an egg this way.

"Now, I want you to imagine the bird inside," Vlad said. "See the baby bird."

Lovino made a face, before turning to Vlad.

"You realise that baby birds are damn ugly, right?" Lovino said.

"Then think about an adult robin. Imagine it in the trees. Try to listen to the song of the robin."

Lovino closed his eyes, picturing the bird in question.

"Now, think about the fact that the bird is dead," Vlad said. "And I want you to wish to see the bird hatch. Wish to see it grow up. Wish to see it fly."

Lovino took a deep breath, doing as told. It took a while, but eventually Vlad spoke again.

"Now, imagine a light coming from your hands and flowing into the egg," Vlad continued. "The light needs to contain all of the warmth you can muster. See the egg as an injured bird, which in a way it is. I need you to want it to get better."

Lovino channelled as much of his warmth as he could muster. His eyes snapped open when he thought he felt something moving inside.

"Good," Vlad said. "Now, think of a bird hatching, and let that thought flow into the egg."

Lovino nodded, focusing intently on the mental image of a bird hatching and trying to force that image into the egg. He could feel the movements again, and tried to increase his desire to see the bird hatch.

Lovino almost dropped the egg when a crack appeared on the shell, but luckily he didn't. He watched in awe as the egg hatched, and even though he thought the newborn bird was ugly, he couldn't help but think that it was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.

"Very good," Vlad said. "While your medium is the tears of life, you don't always need it for life. With plants and animals, all you need to do is focus. Sadly, it doesn't work with humans."

"Then why teach this?" Lovino asked.

"It's still an important skill, and it will help you with future lessons. You learned how to channel your desire, and you're holding the result."

Lovino looked down at the bird.

"It's still ugly," Lovino said.

…

The next one to come to Vlad was Gupta. Vlad didn't start the lesson immediately, knowing that Gupta had something else on his mind.

"You weren't completely honest this morning," Gupta said.

"I know," Vlad said. "But paranoia can be extremely detrimental. I didn't want to tell them that there have been demonic presences for more than a week. Besides, back then I wasn't entirely sure if they were Ivan's henchmen or simply demons passing through. The only one I could confirm was Toris, but sometimes they go out on their own. I didn't know if he was alone or not. Unless Ivan calls on them they tend to avoid them."

Gupta was silent for a moment, and Vlad had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"You said that you didn't want to tell them because you were worried that they might become paranoid," Gupta said. "Yet you had no problem with telling me exactly what was happening. You also asked my help in creating the barrier. Why?"

Vlad sighed.

"Because your personality doesn't allow paranoia," Vlad said. "You're able to keep a level head. And you've already showed an interest in magic. Since Heracles and I couldn't make the barrier strong enough because of our natures, we needed someone… purer for that role."

Gupta looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his head.

"There's something else, though," Gupta said. "When you went out last night… It didn't go as you described, did it?"

Vlad hesitated for a moment, before closing his eyes.

"No, it didn't," Vlad said. "I didn't exactly 'run into' them. I sought them out. I was hoping to negotiate. Get Ivan to torture me and be done with it. But he wasn't interested."

"Is it because of Lovino?" Gupta asked. "He's your heartwing, isn't he?"

Vlad stared at Gupta in surprise before nodding his head.

"Da," Vlad said. "But even though he's the one in the most danger, he's not the _only_ one in danger. Ivan knows that I care about all of you. But he would definitely use Lovino to get to me. And he'd most likely use Feliciano and Marcello to get his hands on Lovino. And he might use the rest of you for fun. Or worse: recruitment."

"What do you mean?" Gupta asked.

"Ivan is known as the Winter King. He is a king with only four followers. Three of them are servants. It has been a few thousand years since the last time he has gotten someone new. He would certainly use the opportunity to his advantage. And the things he would do to make all of you adjust your course to becoming demons…"

Gupta swallowed nervously.

"You're an angel of justice," Vlad said. "He would most likely use you to tip the balance in his favour."

"I still don't quite understand how that works," Gupta said.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you."

…

Matthew was in his room, lying on his back with his palms facing upwards. His eyes were closed, and he was focusing on his breathing.

"What are you doing?"

Matthew's eyes snapped open, and he stared at curious green eyes.

"Fletcher?" Matthew asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just relieved from guard duty and wanted to see you," Fletcher explained. "So, what _are_ you doing?"

"I'm… meditating."

"Okay. Why?"

"I… a while ago, I realised that I could sense danger. I just… I want to be useful to everyone."

"What makes you think that you aren't?"

"I'm a guardian angel, right?" Matthew asked. "That means that in a fight, I'm useless. I was thinking that, if I could just tell them when danger's coming…"

"Matthew…" Fletcher sighed, sitting down next to Matthew on the bed. Matthew sat up and drew his legs closer to his body. "You are not useless. And the ability to sense danger is a rare ability for guardian angels. There's a lot of pressure placed upon them for shielding their targets from danger. Rarely can we prevent it, or steer clear from them." Fletcher gave a small, fond smile. "I knew that you'd be special, Matthew. I was right."

Matthew blushed and averted his eyes.

"You're just saying that because I'm your heartwing," Matthew said.

Fletcher sighed, before he threw his arm around Matthew. The latter allowed himself to be pulled closer.

"Matthew, I don't say that because you're my heartwing," Fletcher said. "Though, it _is_ a natural instinct to want to see our heartwings happy. Matthew, you have a talent that is considered precious. You shouldn't feel bad about yourself."

Matthew gave a small smile.

"And remember, I'm a type of guardian angel as well," Fletcher said. "I know what I'm talking about."

Matthew chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess you do," Matthew said.

"If you want, I could teach you a new technique that only guardian angels know about."

"…I think I'd like that."

…

Jason stood in front of Vlad, looking extremely nervous. Vlad had a potted plant on the desk, one that had obviously seen better days as it was wilted and on its way to dying.

"You are an angel of the garden," Vlad said. "Which means that you should be able to heal this plant."

"Right," Jason said. "How?"

After going through the steps with him, Vlad allowed Jason to try on his own. Vlad was watching both Jason and the plant intently, while Jason tried to ignore everything around him.

That was made difficult when there was a _boom_ from outside, and Jason jumped up in surprise, while Vlad jumped to his feet, looking even more alarmed than Jason.

"What _was_ that?" Jason asked.

"Trouble," Vlad said. "Stay here."

Vlad ran out of the room, leaving a concerned Jason behind. Jason sighed, before turning back to the plant and trying again.

…

Alice was the one on guard duty, and the moment she had heard the explosion she rushed towards the location, worried about what might have happened.

The ground had been sanctified and made sacred. That didn't mean that the demons couldn't _fly_ over it. But the closer they came to the house, the higher they needed to go before it became unbearable.

It seemed as though they had flown over in order to drop off a little gift. And the sight of it was disturbing.

There was a pile of dead birds, with their blood spreading around them on the ground. They were slightly scorched, and Alice knew that the explosion was caused by the barrier having been compromised.

They were intending to taint the ground, allowing them to get closer.

Alice looked up when Vlad arrived, looking worried.

"They're trying to turn this into cursed ground," Alice said.

"I can see that," Vlad said. "But they could have been subtler about it. I think they're trying to scare the Nephilim as well."

"They don't know what it means, do they?"

"They wouldn't know about it. But they would know that explosions mean trouble. And I think that _that's_ what they're going for."

"Scaring them. What else will they try?"

Vlad looked at her with a blank expression.

"You don't want to know."

…

Marcello looked out of the window when he heard the explosion. He could see Alice fly over and look at something on the ground, and he could see that she was concerned about whatever it was.

He had learned that he was an angel of love, and that he had a pretty good sense of others' emotions. And Alice's emotions weren't reassuring.

And when Vlad arrived, he knew that something was _definitely_ wrong. He wondered if it had something to do with the demons, and found that he didn't want to know. Because if that were the case, then it wasn't very reassuring.

…

Eduard, Raivis and Toris were watching Vlad and Alice from a distance. They couldn't get closer, and they had no idea what they were saying, but they knew that they were discussing their little _gift_.

They shuddered simultaneously, and knew that their master had arrived.

"I wonder if the children know what is happening," Ivan said. "Still, the barrier is strong. But it wasn't an angel that made it, and it's too pure to be Vlad. So one of the Nephilim must have made it. Already a powerful one."

"What is your wish?" Eduard asked.

"I want the Nephilim that cast the spell."


	35. Chapter 34

**Thanks to Holo, Zaaze,** **Olivia Kirkland,** **Atzuyi, Eurazba, Mehloveshorror, PorcelanaRota, EllaAwkward, Adorable Reader and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 34**

Jason smiled when he finally managed to heal the plant. And that was around the time when Vlad decided to return.

Vlad was a little surprised when he saw the plant before he smiled, stepping into the room.

"Good job," Vlad said. "What are your thoughts about this?"

"It's cool," Jason said. "So… What was that just now?"

Vlad's face darkened, and Jason had a feeling that he shouldn't have asked that.

"Was it the demons?" Jason asked.

"Da," Vlad said. "They're trying to break through the barrier. And they've decided to start with a disturbing method. But… Don't worry about it. As long as none of you go outside, you should be fine."

Jason had a bad feeling about this, and he had the feeling that Vlad was aware of it. Which was why he decided that, for now, he would leave it be.

…

Nora joined up with Alice, and they both looked at the pile of dead birds, which had been ignited in order to purge the negative energy that had accompanied them.

"How far do you think they're willing to go?" Alice asked.

"With Ivan, there is no such thing as 'too far'," Nora said. "Look at all the things that he had done to Vlad. And knowing Ivan, he would try to think of new, creative ways to torture him."

"And those angels of war dare to say that we angels of life are weak and pathetic. Vlad is the proof that we're stronger than they are."

"True. But remember that even the strongest wall would one day crumble. And Vlad's got so many cracks already. I fear that it will take only one more crack before he collapses."

Alice sighed.

"And we already know what that crack will be," Alice said.

…

Feliciano was the one accompanying Hans in the art room this time. Since they were both angels of art, it made sense. Feliciano also sensed that there was something bothering the younger boy, and he was trying to get the other's mind off of it.

"Ve, that looks so pretty."

Hans jumped slightly, and he turned to see Feliciano staring at his canvas.

"D-danke," Hans said. "Um, can I see what you've been working on?"

"Ve, of course."

Hans went over towards Feliciano's canvas and his jaw dropped at the sight.

"Wow," Hans said. "That looks so pretty."

"Really? This is only the base paint. I still need to shade, blend, balance…"

Hans started to zone out. He wanted to believe that Feliciano's skill was only because he was older. He wasn't inferior to Feliciano, was he?

As his thoughts continued to drift, he thought he heard a song being played. It sounded like the songs his father used to play for him when he was still very small. Where was that music coming from?

"That song," Hans said.

Felciano stopped, cocking his head.

"Ve, what song?" Feliciano asked.

"Can't you hear it?"

Feliciano looked at the other in confusion, and he blinked when he saw the other's eyes glazing over. Hans turned towards the door and started walking.

Instinctively, though, Feliciano knew that something was wrong, and he threw his arms around Hans's body, stopping all movement.

"Where are you going?" Feliciano asked, looking into the other's eyes.

Hans didn't react, and his eyes remained blank. Feliciano started to panic.

"Hera!" he shouted. "Hera, come help!"

Feliciano didn't have to wait long before Heracles came running in, looking alert and worried.

"What's going on?" Heracles asked.

"Ve, something's wrong with him," Feliciano said.

Heracles crouched down next to Hans, and when he saw the other's eyes he swore. He placed his hand on Hans's forehead, and Feliciano's eyes widened when Hans became completely limp in his arms.

"Let's get him to his room," Heracles said, taking Hans from Feliciano and started walking.

Feliciano trailed after Heracles, questions burning in his mind. He saw Vlad poke his head out from the study, and Heracles turned to him.

"Get Alexandru," Heracles said. "He would want to know about this."

Vlad nodded, before he disappeared into the room. Feliciano looked towards Heracles as they started descending the stairs.

"What's going on?" Feliciano asked.

"It's better if I tell you with Alexandru around," Heracles said.

Feliciano felt his concern grow, but he was also relieved to know that Heracles had no intention of keeping him in the dark. He would explain what happened, and they could help Hans.

Because judging by Heracles's actions, something had indeed happened.

A while later Heracles was laying Hans on his bed, and not long after that Alexandru and Vlad came running in. Alexandru looked towards his heartwing with concern.

"What happened?" Alexandru asked.

"He was in a trance," Heracles said, before he turned his attention to Feliciano. "Feli, did he say anything before he got like this?"

"S-si," Feliciano said. "Something about a song?"

"You said that you ran into Raivis," Vlad said, turning to Alexandru. "Do you think he could have done something?"

"It's a possibility," Alexandru said.

"Ve, what's going on?" Feliciano asked.

"The demons had tried to lure Hans," Heracles explained. "Raivis must have dug in Hans's mind to see what would attract him. Since Roderich is an angel of music, it's possible that Raivis used that to get Hans's attention, and once he became aware of it the spell had been cast."

"But, _I_ didn't hear anything."

"That's because it was specifically directed towards Hans," Vlad said. "Raivis had seen him in close proximity. And there's no telling for how long he had been following during your flight, Alex."

"I know," Alexandru said dejectedly. "If they get him, it's going to be all my fault."

"But why?" Feliciano asked. "Why do they want the bambino?"

"Many reasons," Heracles said. "They could do it to get to Vlad, because Vlad is training you all and because Vlad has a soft spot for you. Another is because he's Alexandru's heartwing, and there isn't a better opportunity to make an angel fall. They could also want Hans to join their army."

"I wouldn't exactly call what Ivan has an 'army'," Vlad deadpanned.

"It's not just Ivan, remember?" Alexandru said.

Feliciano shuddered. The possibilities that could happen…

Feliciano looked towards Heracles in concern. He was Heracles's heartwing, so did it mean that they would use him to get to Heracles?

As though sensing his thoughts, Heracles turned his attention to Feliciano and gave a small smile.

"You have nothing to worry about," Heracles said. "I won't allow them to get anywhere near you. I won't let _anything_ happen to you."

"But it's a good thing that you were with him," Vlad said. "If he was alone… Chances are, he would already be in their clutches."

Feliciano shuddered again.

"What are we going to do now?" Feliciano asked.

"We wait for Hans to wake up," Vlad said. "That's the only way we could see how strong the spell is. And whether or not he's still under the influence."

"We should look at the other Nephilim," Heracles said.

"Da. I know."

"Let's hope they didn't do that to someone else yet," Alexandru said, "or we might be too late."

…

Outside, Raivis suddenly collapsed to the ground, a look of annoyance on his face. Toris and Eduard looked over towards him in worry.

"They figured it out?" Toris asked.

"Yeah," Raivis said. "It's sooner than I expected."

"At least we know they're paranoid," Eduard said. "Mr Ivan should be happy."

Toris stared at the house, narrowing his eyes.

"What are the odds of you getting the one that cast the protective spells?" Toris asked.

"I need to make eye contact with him before that could happen," Raivis said.

"And… Vlad's heartwing?" Eduard asked.

"Same."

The three of them shuddered, and they knew that their master had returned.

"Aw, no progress?" Ivan said.

"S-sorry," Raivis said. "I-I need t-to m-make eye c-contact w-with one of them t-to g-get them. I-I t-tried w-with the one that s-saw m-me, b-but…"

"They managed to catch on," Eduard said.

"Aw, that's too bad," Ivan said. "So, little Raivis, why don't you try to get another one of them to look at you?"

"S-sir?"

"You can fly there, can you not? Tap on the windows… Get their attention…"

"B-but, the angels…"

"Are afraid. They are not a threat. So they should pose no problem."

"B-but…"

"Raivis…" Ivan said darkly. "Are you trying to disobey me?"

"N-no. I'll… I'll get r-right on it."

Ivan smiled, patting Raivis on the head.

"Good boy," Ivan said. "Do not disappoint me."

And with that Ivan disappeared again, leaving his three servants alone.

"We'll offer a distraction, if you want," Toris offered. "To keep away the angels until you've completed Mr Ivan's orders."

Raivis sighed in resignation.

"I'm not going to get out of this one, am I?" Raivis asked.

"Since when have we ever been able to get out of any of them?" Eduard asked.

"Fair point," Toris said.

…

Henri went to join Marcello in one of the lounge rooms. The Italian smiled, before inviting the other to sit across from him. Henri gladly accepted.

Since they were around the same age, Henri had befriended Marcello and Jason. They tried to draw Lili closer to them as well, but Vash didn't trust them anywhere near his sister. Because, obviously, three teenaged boys with a girl could only spell trouble.

"Where's Jason?" Henri asked.

"He just went to the bathroom," Marcello said. "So, have you been to see Vlad yet?"

"Not yet," Henri sighed. "I'm kind of afraid, you know?"

"Si. It makes it feel like we're really in danger. I mean, angel powers are cool and all, but… A part of me misses my normal life, you know?"

"Ever since the Outbreak, I don't think _any_ of us could say that we've had a 'normal life'."

Marcello sighed.

"I guess you're right," Marcello said. "Especially Lovino."

"What's this about Lovi?" Jason asked, stepping into the room.

"We're just discussing our general lack of a normal life since the Outbreak," Marcello explained.

"Oh. Yeah."

Jason plopped down on the couch next to Marcello, and Henri smiled wryly. It was obvious to him that he was still the outcast. Jason and Marcello were childhood friends. Henri couldn't hope to be included on the same level as them.

The sunlight dimmed slightly, though they assumed that it was just a cloud passing in front of the sun. However, they all jumped when something crashed against the window, not hard enough to break it, but enough to startle them. Instinctively, they all turned to the window.

Only to wish they hadn't.

Hovering outside of the window was a boy just slightly younger than them in appearance. What scared them, though, was the fact that the other had large black bat-like wings.

A demon.

The demon winced a little, looking at each of the teens in turn before be smirked. Each of the Nephilim felt their fear growing. And then, before they knew it, the demon flew away.

Out of concern the three of them went towards the window, but the demon was already gone.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Henri said.

…

Raivis returned to their meeting place, and he waited patiently for the other two to arrive. He didn't have to wait long. Toris and Eduard returned, with Toris looking just a little smug.

"Angels of life," Toris said. "They say they don't like fighting, but then they put up a fairly decent fight."

"You _are_ aware that they only picked up the skill because angels of war like how you used to keep challenging them and calling them out on it and generally just bullied them, right?" Eduard said.

Toris shrugged, before turning towards Raivis.

"Were you successful?" Toris asked.

The temperature dropped, and they knew that Ivan had returned.

"I want to know too," Ivan said, smiling widely.

"I managed to get three of them," Raivis said. "Now, it's all a matter of luring them out."

"Aw, only three?"

"One of them appears to be an angel of wealth. His brother worked as a vampire hunter before Vlad told them about their true natures. Another one is an angel of the garden. One of his brothers is an angel of war, while the other is a guardian angel. The guardian angel is the heartwing of Fletcher. And the last one is an angel of love. He is the heartwing of Jack. One of his brothers is an angel of art, and is the heartwing of Heracles. His _other_ brother…" Raivis chuckled. "An angel of life, and Vlad's heartwing."

Ivan's smile widened.

"That is a good start," Ivan said. "Those three will give us access to several of the others. Including our most important one. But, what about the one that cast the spells?"

"I-I didn't see him," Raivis said, eyes wide.

"Pity. But Alice and Nora will be on their guard, after your distraction. We will wait a while. And then we can use the siren march, da?"

"The siren march?" Toris asked. "Have you found someone that can do it?"

Ivan smiled, stepping aside and revealing the figures standing a ways behind him. The trio had been focused on Ivan, so they didn't notice the group behind him. But now they could see clearly.

"Vampires?" Toris asked.

" _Former_ vampires," Ivan corrected. "They were slain in battle. I asked around, and these all have a connection with our dear Nephilim. And Vlad."

"Who exactly are they?" Eduard asked.

"Emil of the Nordic Five, now Four. Leon, Yong Soo and Kasem from the Dragon Clan. Francis and Antonio of the Bad Touch Trio. And Alistair and William of the Kirkland brothers. William is the master of the siren march."

The vampires weren't reacting to their surroundings. They were still in a daze from having been slain, sent to purgatory and then having their consciousness pulled out from purgatory. It would be a while still before they could be useful.

But Ivan was patient. He could wait.

"Will any of the others be useful?" Eduard asked.

"The Bad Touch Trio will," Raivis said. "After all, they've had their fair share in torturing and traumatising Vlad's heartwing."

"Have you learned his name?" Ivan asked.

"Lovino."

At the mention of the name, Antonio and Francis lifted their heads. Some of the fog cleared from their eyes, and slowly they started to smirk.

…

Jason, Henri and Marcello ran upstairs, searching for Vlad. They needed to tell him about their encounter with the demon.

Vlad wasn't in the study, nor was he in his room. And in Lovino's room…

"Fratello?" Marcello said, blinking in confusion. "Is that a… bird?"

Lovino glanced annoyed at his brother, before turning back to the newborn bird chirping away in its makeshift nest.

"Si," Lovino said. "It was my exercise from Vlad."

"Taking care of a bird?"

"No. The bird died in its egg. I had to bring it back to life. And let it hatch."

The three's eyes widened.

"That's so cool," Marcello said.

Lovino huffed, before fixing his youngest brother with a level glare.

"What are you running around for?" Lovino asked.

"We're looking for Vlad," Jason said.

"He's probably downstairs with Feliciano and the others. The kid passed out or something."

"Downstairs," Henri said. "Got it."

As they turned to leave, Lovino stopped them.

"Why the hell are you looking for Vlad, anyway?" Lovino asked.

…

Hans groaned, before opening his eyes. He saw that he was in his room, but something about the situation felt wrong.

"Good, you're awake," Vlad said, and Hans turned to look at him. "What can you remember?"

Hans frowned, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"I remember talking to Feli," Hans said. "After that… What happened?"

Vlad sighed, and Hans took the opportunity to look around, seeing that he and Vlad weren't alone. In the corner sat Alexandru, looking dejected.

"Alex?" Hans said. "What's wrong?"

Alex looked up, and Hans could see that the other looked torn.

"I'm sorry," Alexandru whispered.

Hans was caught off-guard.

"Why?" he asked.

"Remember that demon you met yesterday?" Vlad asked. "Well, he left a little present, in the form of a hypnotic spell that will work at a later stage when the user calls upon the person. When casting it, the user gains access to the victim's thoughts and memories. And he knows what would be the most appealing to the victim. Feliciano said you mentioned a song?"

Hans frowned in confusion, before he shook his head. Vlad sighed.

"Alright then," Vlad said. "Did Roderich spend any time with you when you were growing up?"

"Ja," Hans said. "When I was very small, he would stay with me and my Mutti every day. When I was around five, he would come every week. Then, when my Mutti died when I was seven, he would always stay with me. Every day, he would play on the piano and have me sitting next to him. Then came the vampires, and he wouldn't be able to come for days, sometimes even a whole week. The music made it feel like he was there."

"I see. You miss him, don't you?"

Hans nodded his head, closing his eyes.

"I can ask Roddy to come," Alexandru said. "Then maybe you can forgive me."

Hans cocked his head to the side.

"Why do I need to forgive you?" Hans asked.

"For… For letting that demon do that to you," Alexandru said. "I should have seen it sooner."

"I'm not mad."

Before anyone could say anything else, Lovino, Marcello, Jason and Henri burst into the room.

"We've got a situation," Lovino said.

The three younger teens explained about their encounter with the demon, and Vlad's eyes widened.

"Raivis," Vlad whispered. "Stay here. I'll go look for him. Heracles?"

Heracles nodded, going towards the group of teens. Vlad went over to the large window, opening it and summoning his wings.

"Vlad!" Lovino exclaimed. "Your wing!"

Vlad paused, turning to look at Lovino, before first looking towards his left wing. After seeing nothing wrong, he turned his attention to the right wing.

And gasped at the sight.

On the very tip was a single white feather.

 **So, Hans is the youngest, and I can just imagine that some of the more affectionate people, like Feliciano, would refer to him as the baby.**

 **The siren's march was first referenced in Chapter 5, when Arthur was trying to get Vlad to come outside. He stated that William was particularly good at it. And in chapter 29 Heracles said how many of the vampires died. Now you know** _ **who**_ **died. As for how they're there… think Miguel.**

 **I was originally going to have Ivan making a deal with the still-living vampires, but decided to get him to use the dead ones instead, since they wouldn't need an invitation to go inside.**


	36. Chapter 35

**Thanks to awaw, EllaAwkward, Zaaze, Squeeeeee, Olivia Kirkland, Yvette, Adorable Reader, ScandinavianTrash, Mehloveshorror, CosmicDucks, missycanucks, Myrna Maeve, Elizaveta Hedervary - Hungary and an anon for reviewing. 250 reviews reached. Thanks.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 35**

Vlad was flying through the air, scanning the ground below for any of the demons. If they were about to do something, Vlad wanted to know what it was and stop it before it could happen.

But he kept being distracted by the thought of the white feather. What did it mean? Never before had something like this happened. No fallen angel had ever had one of their black feathers become white.

They usually became demons before too long.

Vlad wanted to know what it meant. In nine thousand years he had _never_ experienced anything like this before. Everything had remained constant for so long. Except after the times Ivan had tortured him. Then, for some time afterwards, his wings had appeared to become darker.

Vlad didn't know what it meant, and he didn't know anyone who he could ask. If he didn't know, then there was no way that someone else would know. After all, he was the expert on Nephilim and fallen angels.

For now, he would allow Heracles to form his theories. Perhaps a former angel of philosophy would find a solution.

One thing was for sure: he couldn't allow Ivan to know about this. It might spur him on to speed up his plans. And the one that would be the first to be in danger wouldn't be him, but Lovino.

And as luck would have it, he didn't find the demons at all in the surrounding area. He didn't know if he should feel grateful or worried.

…

Heracles sighed, looking between Jason, Marcello and Henri in turn. Feliciano looked worriedly at Heracles, while Lovino kept his gaze on the window where Vlad had disappeared.

"What's going on?" Feliciano asked.

"Well," Heracles said, "they're definitely hypnotised."

"But I feel fine," Jason said, before looking at the other two. "Right guys?"

"Si," Marcello said.

"It doesn't matter," Heracles said. "There are still traces of a hypnotic suggestion. I didn't think that Raivis was that powerful. And unfortunately, it's extremely deep. I can't reach the suggestion in order to dispose of it."

"Then how do we get rid of it?" Lovino asked.

"Well, first we have to hope that Vlad would be able to reach it. The only alternative is that we wait for the hypnosis to set in."

"Why do we have to do that?" Henri asked alarmed.

"It needs to be brought to the surface," Heracles explained. "That's the only way we can make sure that it's disposed of."

"W-what about me?" Hans asked.

Heracles looked over towards the younger boy.

"You're fine," Heracles said. "You may want to rest, though."

"He's right," Alexandru said. "You should rest and recover. Having someone invading your mind can place quite a strain on you."

Lovino frowned at the statement.

"Vlad's been inside my mind a few times, and I've been alright every time," Lovino said.

Heracles and Alexandru exchanged a look before turning back to Lovino.

"Vlad knows how to be careful," Alexandru said.

"And unlike him, Raivis didn't care whether or not he causes mental damage to you," Heracles said. "In fact, causing mental damage might work in his favour. I think."

Lovino sighed.

"And speaking of Vlad, what is that white feather?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Heracles said, crossing his arms. "I've never heard of something like that before."

"Only the angels of justice can redeem a fallen angel," Alexandru said. "Especially the one that condemned the fallen angel in the first place."

"You think it's redemption?"

"That's the first thing that popped into my mind."

"I don't think it's that," Heracles sighed. "Otherwise, Vlad would have been redeemed a _long_ time ago. He would have been redeemed after the Nephilim Hunt."

"He didn't want it, remember? It involves being forgiven, and Vlad has nothing to forgive, according to him."

"And besides, he's made up for it a thousand times over."

"What else could it be…?"

"Does it matter?" Lovino asked.

"You're the one that wanted to know what it was," Marcello pointed out.

Lovino blushed.

"We don't know what it means yet," Heracles said. "We don't know whether it's a good or bad omen. All we know is that a strange white feather has appeared on Vlad's wing."

"How can it be a bad omen?" Henri asked.

"With everything that's been happening lately… One can never be too careful."

…

Matthew was wandering through the house, searching for something to do. He didn't want to be a bother to anyone, and he wanted to be useful…

He never realised how boring it would be when their option to go outside was taken away from them. Even if it _was_ to protect them…

He looked into the 'library'. It was actually a living room with a bunch of bookshelves filled with books. It wasn't large enough to be considered an actual library. He smiled when he saw Gupta there, reading avidly.

"You sure love books," Matthew said.

Gupta glanced over towards Matthew before turning his attention back to the book. Matthew flushed, wondering why he had spoken out and thought it best to leave. As he turned, though, Gupta's voice stopped him.

"You may join me, if you want."

Matthew turned back to Gupta, who was looking at him and smiled softly before going to an armchair across from Gupta.

"So, what's that you're reading?" Matthew asked.

"It's a book written by Vlad," Gupta said. "It's kind of like a guidebook for Nephilim, like us."

Matthew blinked in astonishment, staring at the book.

"What does he say?" Matthew asked.

"It's hard to explain," Gupta said. "It describes many aspects of being a Nephilim. Including what might happen in the case of corruption."

"You mean…?"

"Right. Becoming a demon. Nephilim that become demons… Apparently, they're truly feral. They have no sense of reason. And only demons can control them."

Matthew swallowed nervously.

"According to this," Gupta continued, "Vlad has never allowed a Nephilim under his watch to become a demon. But… there's only been one case when a Nephilim was killed. Someone named Vas."

"H-how did he die?" Matthew asked.

"It doesn't say."

…

Jason went to the game room where Alfred was yet again. He looked at the screen with an unamused expression for a moment before plopping down on the sofa.

"Yo, bro," Alfred said, pausing the game and looking at his brother. His expression turned serious. "Did something happen?"

Jason sighed, before he turned to Alfred.

"I saw a demon," Jason said. "It flew up to the window."

Alfred immediately grew alarmed.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked. "Did it hurt you?"

"Not… really," Jason said. "But… apparently, it placed some sort of hypnotic suggestion in my mind. Al… If I start acting weird, I need you to knock me out. I… I don't know what could happen."

Alfred sighed, before throwing his arm around his little brother, pulling him closer. Jason allowed himself to be hugged.

"Don't worry about it," Alfred said. "I'm the hero, remember? And I will always protect you, little bro."

Jason smiled, but he snuggled closer to Alfred nonetheless. He would trust his brother to keep him safe from the demons.

And he would go to his other brother for added protection.

…

Vlad returned, feeling just a little upset. He hadn't found any sign of the demons, and it worried him. They were up to something, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't be good.

He was just about to enter the house when he smelled it: old blood and smoke. The scent of a demon.

Vlad growled, summoning his wings and launching himself into the air again, flying as fast as possible to the location of the source of the scent.

He was disappointed when he saw that it was Nikolai. Nikolai noticed his disappointment but didn't comment on it.

"What are you doing here?" Vlad asked.

"First, I'd like to thank you for the blood," Nikolai said. "Things went pretty well. He's not overthrown, but at least he sees me as more of a threat."

Vlad rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming you're here for more blood," Vlad said.

"That would be nice, thank you. And I have some information that you would want to hear."

"Da?"

"Ludwig had managed to return a vampire from the dead by retrieving the consciousness from purgatory."

"I am aware of that. It's not exactly useful information."

"Ivan has done the same."

Vlad was silent, his eyes widening slightly.

"Vampires that had died a little over a week ago," Nikolai continued. "Vampires that are acquainted with you, and who, frankly, don't like you very much."

"Dammit," Vlad said, hitting a tree. "He went after _them_. He went after the two members of the Bad Touch Trio that had been killed."

"Not just them, from what I've heard," Nikolai said. " _All_ of the vampires that had died that night."

Vlad stared at him blankly.

"Shit," Vlad said. "Shit, shit, shit…"

"I take it you know what that means," Nikolai said. "How bad would the damage be?"

"Bad," Vlad said. "I don't even know who exactly had been killed. But the two members of the Kirkland brothers alone would cause problems. They're all gifted at magic." Vlad looked at Nikolai seriously. "How valid is this information?"

"You can trust it. I have checked multiple times. I even heard it from Natalia."

Vlad ran his hand through his hair.

"This isn't good," Vlad said.

"Now, about my payment…"

Vlad sighed, snapping his fingers and conjuring a small glass bottle. He bit his finger and allowed the blood to drip inside, filling the bottle. He placed a stopper in the bottle before handing it to Nikolai.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Nikolai said, before he disappeared.

Vlad sighed again, withdrawing his wings. He had retracted them when he had landed, since he didn't want Nikolai to see the white feather. Not until he knew what it meant.

Scanning the area one more time, he made his way back to the house.

…

Lovino was relaxing on his bed when someone knocked on his door. He turned his attention to the door to see Marcello.

"What is it?" Lovino asked.

Marcello stepped closer, not answering. Lovino sat up. Something was wrong with his little brother.

"You are completely oblivious, aren't you?" Marcello said, his voice void of emotion. "So trusting of Vlad."

"You…" Lovino said, eyes wide. "Y-you're that demon."

"At least not _completely_ stupid."

"S-shut up! Leave my little brother alone!"

"Not so fast. You know, it's a shame that I can't put you under my spell like this."

"L-leave him alone, you bastard!"

Lovino had jumped off of the bed, and he raised his fist.

"You wouldn't want to hit your own little brother, now would you?" Marcello, or the demon using Marcello, said.

Lovino hesitated, and the demon chuckled.

"I just like to know something," Marcello said. "Has Vlad been completely honest with you?"

"He's entitled to his secrets," Lovino said. "If he _needs_ to tell us something, then he will."

The demon scowled.

"So, I guess he hasn't told you about Vas," the demon said. "The _one_ Nephilim he allowed to be killed. The one person he loved more than anything else in the universe."

Lovino's eyes widened. Somehow, hearing that… It made him angry. And he didn't know why. He didn't know the reason behind his emotions, and it made him confused and angry.

Marcello's eyes rolled back, and Lovino's own widened. He lunged forward and managed to catch his brother just in time as he slumped to the floor.

"Damn," Lovino said, dragging Marcello to the bed. "You should really start watching your weight."

He sighed in relief when he managed to place Marcello on the bed, wiping his forehead from the effort. He would search for Heracles to tell him about what had just happened with Marcello, and then he would go searching for Vlad.

He was suddenly _very_ interested to hear who Vas was.

…

Toris, Eduard and Raivis had returned to Ivan's palace. They were supposed to help Ivan with the former vampires, though Raivis had been given a break in order to see what he could do regarding Vlad and the Nephilim.

Judging by his smile, he had been successful.

"Share with me, my little Raivis," Ivan said cheerfully.

"W-well," Raivis said, "I used the brother to speak to Vlad's heartwing. I brought up the subject of Vas."

"In what context?"

"As the only Nephilim that he had allowed to be killed. And as the person he loved more than anything else in the universe."

Ivan chuckled.

"Even if Vlad manages to explain himself, the seeds of doubt have already been planted," Ivan said. "Now we just need to get him out of the house."

"That might take a little while longer."

"That is no problem. The longer it takes, the more chances we have to hurt him."

…

Vlad made his way up the stairs, but before he could get off on the third floor landing he was suddenly tackled by Lovino. He widened his eyes in surprise when Lovino grabbed hold of his shirt.

"Lovino?" Vlad questioned. "What's going on?"

"Who the hell is Vas?" Lovino asked.

Vlad stiffened.

"How do you know that name?" Vlad asked.

"Answer me, dammit!"

Vlad was silent for a moment before he sighed.

"I'll show you," Vlad said. "Let's go to my room first."

Lovino nodded his head, releasing Vlad's shirt. Vlad started to walk towards his room, Lovino following him closely.

Once they were in his room, Lovino spoke up.

"I want to see with blood," Lovino said. "I want to make sure you're not lying to me."

"What's gotten into you?" Vlad asked.

Lovino huffed.

"No one said that the demon would be able to speak through the ones that he had hypnotised," Lovino said.

Vlad's eyes widened.

"Who?" Vlad asked. "Where?"

"Marcello," Lovino said. "He's on my bed. You can go to him _after_ you let me drink enough blood to know what's going on."

Vlad was hesitant for a moment before he caved in, biting the wound from earlier. Lovino was instantly there, ready to lick up the few drops.

Lovino went limp, and Vlad helped him onto the bed before going to check on Marcello.

…

 _He saw Vlad, sitting next to a woman who was drenched in sweat, though her eyes were staring blankly. In his arms he held a baby. It was obvious what had happened._

 _Vlad had helped the woman to deliver the baby, and she had died in childbirth._

 _Vlad looked down at the baby and smiled._

" _It looks like it's just you and me now," Vlad said. "Now, what shall I call you…?"_

 _The image shifted, and the baby had grown. Vlad was teaching it how to walk. The baby had scruffy black hair and red eyes. Lovino gasped when he saw the eyes._

 _They were Vlad's eyes._

" _Come on, Vas," Vlad said. "Come to papa."_

 _Lovino realised that this was what the demon had meant. Vlad had a child, whom he had loved more than anything else._

 _The scene shifted again, and this time Vlad was on his knees, crying in anguish. In front of him was the tiny corpse._

" _Ivan!" Vlad shouted. "You bastard!"_

 _Lovino noticed Ivan, who had a smile on his face._

" _You should have realised that that would be the child's fate," Ivan said. "And if I didn't kill him, then the angels would have."_

 _Lovino felt his throat constrict when he saw Vlad pick up the tiny corpse, rocking him in his arms. Tears were streaming down Vlad's face._

" _You will never be loved, Vlad," Ivan said. "And everything you love is mine to take away."_

…

Lovino gasped as he returned to his senses. Vlad was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down.

"He was your son, wasn't he?" Lovino said.

"Da," Vlad said. "His mother died in childbirth. She was a woman that would have been executed by her tribe if she didn't choose a husband soon. If she didn't bear a child. I helped her, and it was all for naught." Vlad sighed shakily. "I took care of Vas. He was my son. My precious son. The angels couldn't take him away from me. He was a light that shone in my dark world. And then, when he was only five years old, Ivan came again. He killed my son, and I was forced to watch. I couldn't do anything to stop him."

Lovino swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Is that why you have a soft spot for us?" Lovino asked. "Because… You had a son with a human?"

Vlad chuckled before nodding his head.

"I suppose it's the primary reason, yes," Vlad said. "Angels had hunted down the Nephilim, not caring that their fellow angels were losing their children. That a small piece of happiness was being stolen from the angels. They were unknown, so they had to be destroyed."

Lovino nodded.

"Humans are the same way," he said. "We destroy something we don't understand." He was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me about your son?"

"Would it have mattered?" Vlad asked. "It would have just reinforced any doubts you guys might have. That I wouldn't be able to protect you."

Lovino swallowed nervously.

"You once told me that you're afraid of telling your heartwing about your connection," Lovino said. "This is why, isn't it?"

Vlad was quiet, as though in thought.

"Da," he said. "I don't want history to repeat itself."

…

When Hans opened his eyes, he saw that asides from Alexandru, there was someone else in the room. Someone that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Hello, Hans."

Hans's eyes widened, and he threw his arms around the other. He felt incredibly happy when he felt the other hug him back.

"I missed you, Vater," Hans said.

"And I missed you," Roderich said, kissing his son on the head.

 **I've been asked about the progress of the CanadaXWorld story. This applies to** _ **all**_ **the stories that I have yet to post: I'm** _ **swamped**_ **. It's my final semester, and it's as though all the lecturers are just dumping everything on us. For next week, I have a 12-page paper due, of which I only have three pages, I have two tests, I have a project due,** _ **and**_ **I have overdue homework to submit,** _ **and**_ **I have to present a seminar. So, I've been busy and had no time for the other stories. I barely have time for the stories I'm posting. The exams start in two weeks, and I might have some extra time there. And I** _ **should**_ **be free after the 8** **th** **of November. So, just be patient, alright?**


	37. Chapter 36

**Thanks to EVil, Alica123321, Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, bacon, awaw, PorcelenaRota, EllaAwkward, ScandinavianTrash and Adorable Reader for reviewing. And thanks to everyone for your support and understanding.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 36**

Everyone had gone to Vlad during the day, and by nightfall a few of them were tired. Marcello especially, seeing as the demon had used him. They still weren't entirely sure _why_ , though.

Except for a few of them who knew about Lovino being Vlad's heartwing.

Hans was energised after his own encounter, and his spirit had been lifted after being able to see his father again. Roderich had already left, along with Alexandru. But Alexandru at least would come again very soon.

The problem now lay with Jason, Marcello and Henri.

Everyone was aware of the spell placed on the three, and everyone had heard about the demon controlling the youngest Italian, though the details of the events that followed remained secret. Not even Marcello knew what had happened.

Only Lovino was aware of what had occurred, and he was bothered by the fact that it bothered him so much.

Ever since what happened earlier, Jack had arrived and had opted to stay around Marcello, wanting to keep his heartwing safe. Matthew had asked that Fletcher keep an eye on Jason. Fletcher was happy to help his heartwing, though he was a little disappointed about not being able to spend that time with Matthew.

But Fletcher was good at hiding it. Matthew was _still_ insistent that Alfred not learn about the fact that he was Fletcher's heartwing. Matthew was afraid of his brother's reaction to the revelation.

Jett had been asked to keep an eye on Henri, and the two just sat in awkward silence whenever they were alone.

At the moment everyone was waiting for dinner, and most of them were nervous. The reason was simple: Alfred had insisted on cooking.

Lovino, Feliciano and Marcello had never tasted Alfred's cooking, despite being friends pretty much all of their lives. The fact that the Italians – the gourmets of their group – had no idea what the entire group was in for made them all nervous. Only Jason and Matthew were calm about the situation, but it could simply be that they had been desensitized.

"It's really not that bad," Matthew insisted.

"If his cooking is anything like the stuff he eats whenever we went out," Lovino said, "then there is no way I'm eating that shit."

"Language aside," Marcello said, "I agree with Lovi."

Matthew and Jason exchanged a look and sighed, shaking their heads. As much as they wanted to defend their brother, they knew that nothing they said would convince the others of Alfred's skill.

After all, _everyone_ had seen Alfred eat, which didn't offer any form of reassurance when one combined Alfred and food.

"Well," Vlad said, "I for one am curious."

"All I know is that he asked me if there's bread," Feliks said.

"Bread?" Bella repeated.

Before anyone else could say anything, Alfred entered the room, looking pleased with himself.

"Alright, dudes and dudettes," Alfred said. "Dinner is served."

There were a few nervous looks exchanged before they all slowly made their way to the dining room.

Their jaws dropped when they saw all the ingredients needed to build your own hamburgers, with a bowl of fries set out as well, along with seasoning to choose from. Different sauces were also provided.

"Hamburgers?" Marcello asked.

"Why am I not surprised," Lovino sighed.

"Al knows how to make hamburgers from scratch," Matthew explained. "The same with the fries."

"And I also made desert," Alfred announced proudly. "Apple pie."

Lovino and Feliciano exchanged a look.

"Alright then," Lovino said. "We'll give it a try. But it if tastes like crap, you're the one that's going to pay for it."

Alfred chuckled.

"Sure," he said. "Whatever you say."

…

Toris was staring in front of him, sitting at a table with his chin on his hand, and he was absentmindedly drumming the fingers of said hand. He had passed the threshold of 'annoyed' and had reached 'bored'.

Sitting across from him was Antonio, looking as though his mind was somewhere else. Which it was, in a way. He had to help the former vampire with regaining his senses through stimulating conversation.

That wasn't happening.

Toris sighed, leaning back in the chair. He needed to think of something to motivate the vampire to engage in a conversation. Remembering what had happened earlier, Toris smiled.

"Out of curiosity," Toris said, "what do you intend to do to Lovino when you get him again?"

There it was. The spark of life. Antonio could finally fix him with a more focused look, though he wasn't completely there yet.

"Lovi?" Antonio said.

"Yes," Toris said. "What will you do to him if you manage to get him again?"

Antonio looked down, remaining silent for a moment. Toris was afraid that he had lost the vampire yet again, but then Antonio looked up again, the fog all but gone. His eyes narrowed.

"I will play our little game with him," Antonio said. "Show him a hostage, and tell him to kill him. And if he refuses, I will simply rape him, letting the hostage watch. And then it's time for round two, and it will go on until he kills the hostage."

"What makes you think there would be a round two?" Toris asked.

"The hostages will be his brothers."

Toris chuckled.

"I like the sound of that," Toris said. "Is that all?"

"No," Antonio said. "Not even close. It will go on until all of his little friends are killed. And then I'll kill him, slowly and painfully."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Ever heard of lingchi?"

"Yes," Toris said, smirking. "Death of a thousand cuts."

"And this will _actually_ involve a thousand cuts. Small, shallow cuts, and after each cut I will drink as much blood as I can before making the next cut. I will bleed him dry. I think I will let Vlad watch, if it's possible to keep him restrained."

Toris was full-out laughing now.

"Don't worry about it," Toris said. "Mr Ivan has his ways to force Vlad to watch all of that. But I must say, I'm impressed. While nowhere near as bad as a demon's level of torture, it's a start."

Antonio frowned.

"What would you have then?" Antonio asked.

"Let's just say that when we're done, his body, mind, spirit, heart and soul would be broken beyond repair, and he'd be _begging_ us for death which would be an eternity in coming."

Antonio smirked.

"It seems I have much to learn," he said.

"And we will teach you," Toris said.

…

The Nephilim sighed, each of them satisfied from the dinner. Alfred had a huge grin on his face as he looked over towards Lovino.

"So?" Alfred prompted. "How'd you like it?"

Lovino sighed, before turning his gaze to Alfred.

"It's not as bad as I'd imagined it'd be," Lovino said. "At least it's not as greasy as the stuff they have in restaurants. Though the meat was a little dry."

Alfred beamed, knowing that it was Lovino's way of saying that he enjoyed the meal.

Vlad chuckled at the sight, before he froze.

"I'm going outside for a while," Vlad said.

Everyone nodded, knowing that he sensed that something was amiss outside. Vlad quickly made his way to the front door and the outside.

He immediately summoned his wings and took flight. He was halfway across the yard when he sensed something behind him, before he was grabbed and his wings pinned to his body.

"Let me go!" Vlad demanded.

"And yet you came out to see me," Ivan said.

Vlad had smelled the scent of old blood and smoke, the scent of a demon. But this time, it was accompanied by the scent of _new_ blood.

Angel blood.

"Who…" Vlad demanded. "Whose blood is it?"

"Nora's," Ivan whispered into his ear, sending a chill down Vlad's spine.

"What the hell did you do to her?"

"I cannot kill _her_ , remember? But I did disembowel her."

Vlad's eyes widened, and he felt horrified. He needed to get to his friend immediately.

"I knew that it would attract your attention," Ivan continued.

"What do you want?" Vlad asked.

Ivan didn't answer, but Vlad could feel something akin to ice entering his veins and knew that Ivan had cast a spell. He yelped as he was suddenly thrown to the ground, and when he turned around he saw that Ivan was gone.

Not wasting any time, he immediately took flight to Nora's location, all while wondering what Ivan had done to him.

…

Nikolai was in his own domain, but he wasn't alone. Standing in front of him was Natalia, a knife held tightly in her hand.

"You warned him," Natalia accused.

Nikolai shrugged, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I wanted his blood," Nikolai said. "I just happened to have some useful information with which I could pay him."

"If you truly wanted it, you could have taken it by force."

"Nope. The gifts of the angels of life don't work unless it's willingly given. Just like how it wouldn't work if Vlad is to become a demon."

"It doesn't matter. He is my brother's target. You shall not interfere."

Nikolai smirked in amusement.

"And what exactly does Ivan hope to achieve?" Nikolai asked. "Even Lucifer has given up on acquiring Vlad."

"It doesn't matter," Natalia said. "It's what my brother wants."

Nikolai sighed in frustration.

"We should really find your heartwing," Nikolai groaned. "You _need_ to get over your devotion to Ivan. When's the last time you saw Katyusha?"

Natalia narrowed her eyes before she turned and left. Nikolai sighed, running his hand through his hair.

That woman had some serious issues.

…

Vlad sighed, re-entering the house. He had called Alice to help him heal Nora, who was sleeping off the attack.

What exactly did Ivan do to him that had him decide to lure him out instead of waiting for Vlad to come out on his own? Vlad had a bad feeling about it.

"What happened?"

Vlad looked up to see Lovino looking at him worriedly and he smiled.

"Everything's okay," Vlad said.

"You're lying," Lovino said.

Vlad's smile fell, and he blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The fact that you plastered that smile on your face before you answered," Lovino said. "Please. You should tell me what's going on."

Vlad was silent for a moment before he sighed, slumping against the nearby wall.

"Ivan hurt Nora," Vlad said. "She was protecting the perimeter, and he managed to sneak up and attack her. I smelled her blood."

Lovino swallowed.

"What did he do, exactly?" he asked.

Vlad shook his head.

"You don't want to know," he said. "Anyway, he wanted to lure me outside. Though for what purpose, I have no idea."

Lovino frowned.

"Did he do something?" Lovino asked.

"I'm not sure," Vlad said. "And that worries me."

Lovino sighed, averting his gaze.

"Listen," Lovino said. "I-I'm going to see if I can sleep the whole night through. Without your help. So… I'll be in my room."

Vlad gave a small smile, though he felt a small pang in his chest.

"Of course," Vlad said. "Your recovery is important, after all. And I guess we should check for progress."

Lovino nodded, and he looked as though he wanted to say something else but changed his mind. Vlad watched as the Italian ran up the stairs and sighed.

He wondered if Vlad was upset about the revelation of Vas? He didn't know _why_ , though. He would have told Lovino eventually, had the topic ever been broached. But Vlad couldn't help but wonder how Lovino had found out about him in the first place.

He sighed, looking longingly up the stairs. Somehow, he had a feeling that Lovino was trying to avoid him.

Whatever was going on, he would fix it as best he could.

…

Jason groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance. Fletcher stopped speaking in order to look at the other.

"Could you give it a rest?" Jason demanded. "All these questions are giving me a headache. Aren't you just supposed to make sure that I don't become that demon's puppet?"

"That's what I'm doing," Fletcher said. "I'm keeping you busy. The moment you lose focus, I know that Raivis is trying to control you."

Jason was silent for a moment.

"So, you're keeping me occupied and the moment I don't pay attention anymore you'll take it as a sign that I'm being controlled?" Jason said.

"Pretty much," Fletcher said.

The two were in Jason's room. There was a knock on the door before Matthew opened it, smiling at the two.

"Is everything going okay?" Matthew asked.

"Everything is fine," Fletcher said, smiling brightly.

Matthew turned his attention to Jason, who looked thoughtful.

"Jay, is something wrong?" Matthew asked.

"No," Jason said, shaking his head. "Everything's okay."

Matthew looked at his brother for a moment before shaking his head, closing the door. The moment the door was shut, Jason rounded on Fletcher.

"You're his heartwing, aren't you?" Jason asked.

Fletcher widened his eyes.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"The way he managed to convince you to look after me, and the way you just lit up gives it away," Jason said. "I'm not as dumb as I look."

Fletcher smiled softly.

"No," he said. "You aren't."

…

Raivis sighed in annoyance. He had been checking in on his puppets, enough to see what they were doing, but not enough to give his presence away.

He hated those angels. They were making things very hard for him.

His connection to them allowed him to see many things. He had also gained knowledge when he had entranced them, which included their experiences. It also helped to see the heartwing connection, even though they weren't aware of it.

He needed to find a way to get to the other Nephilim. He especially needed to get the one that had performed the barrier spells, Gupta, to come out.

He had learned that through his connection as well.

He looked up when Toris and Eduard came to join him at the table.

"How are things from your end?" Eduard asked.

"The angels are annoying," Raivis said. "They keep their eye out in case I tug the strings of one of my puppets. How are things on your end?"

"I managed to get Antonio and Francis to become more aware of what's happening around them," Toris said. "Though they keep drifting off."

"At least you _had_ some progress," Eduard said. "I couldn't even get one of them to say a single word."

"Maybe we should ask Ludwig how he managed to train his…"

The three shuddered, before turning to look at Ivan, who had a broad smile on his face.

"How are my little children doing?" Ivan asked.

"I managed to get two of them responsive," Toris said. "One of them even described what he would do when he had Vlad's heartwing in his possession again. It involves lingchi."

Ivan hummed in thought.

"He's motivated, at least," Ivan said. "But, it will be all for nothing. I want the heartwing _alive_ , and preferably in a good physical condition. At least in the beginning. It is the emotional and mental state that I want completely destroyed."

"Considering he was held captive for three months, just being in the same room as the members from the Bad Touch Trio would be enough to damage him emotionally and mentally," Raivis said.

"I see. In which case, I think I shall allow them to sample his blood."

"Rape also came up," Toris said.

"We'll wait with that one," Ivan said. "It might be counterproductive to go through it too soon. And the fear that it would inspire if he expected it, but it wouldn't come, would be more helpful."

"I also managed to learn which of the Nephilim created the barrier," Raivis said.

Ivan's smile widened.

"That is the best news," he said. "Now, to get him outside…"

…

Lovino lay on his bed, simply staring at the ceiling. His bed felt too large, too cold, too empty. He knew that he missed Vlad's presence.

But why? Why was he so hung-up over Vlad?

It couldn't just be that Vlad had saved him. It happened so long ago now, or at least that's what it felt like. There had to be another reason why he wanted so much to be in Vlad's presence.

And for some reason, the fact that Vlad had kept his child a secret upset him more than it should. Vlad had been around for thousands of years. Sure, he would get lonely, and it was possible that that loneliness could produce a child, but… Why did it bother him?!

Lovino groaned, pulling at his hair. He would try to figure it out in the morning. For now, he decided to sleep.

…

Vlad sighed, passing by Lovino's room. He had been checking on him regularly throughout the night, and it seemed as though Lovino was having a fitful sleep, but not quite restless. He wasn't having any traumatising nightmares.

He shook his head, before he made his way to the front door. He would go check on Nora. While she wouldn't die, it would still be extremely painful.

As he opened the door, he noticed that the sun was hot. Too hot. He screamed in pain as he stumbled back, landing on the ground and backing away. He noticed that his body was smoking, and his eyes widened.

"No," he muttered. "No, no, no…"

He could already hear the others running upstairs, but he paid it no mind. He needed to be sure.

He crawled forwards, and tentatively held out his hand. As soon as the sunlight hit it he felt immense pain, as though he was sticking his hand into an open flame. When he saw that it started burning, he quickly withdrew his hand again.

"Vlad!" Feliks exclaimed. "Like, what happened?"

Vlad looked around at all the others, before his eyes landed on Lovino, who was looking at him wide-eyed.

"Ivan," he said. "What he did to me… I can't go out in the sun anymore. The curse… It's back."

There were collective gasps, and Vlad collapsed on the ground, crying in anguish. Nine thousand years… And then he finally managed to enjoy the sun again, only to have it taken away after little over a week.

He paid no mind to his surroundings, except when someone went to close the door. Arms wrapped around him, and he recognised the scent as Lovino's.

This time, Lovino was the one to hold him as he cried.

 **A while back I stumbled upon a headcanon that says that America is a decent cook, and that his home cooking is the best. He could also make burgers from scratch. So I went with it. And apple pie is one of the first things I think of when I think of American cuisine.**

 **Lingchi was a form of execution used especially in China, and… let's just say that the cruelty of it convinced the Westerners that they were backwards (as though Europe didn't have their fair share of cruel torture/executions…). It was usually reserved for serious crimes, like treason, though there were a few instances when it was administered for a minor offence. It was part torture, part public humiliation, and was also supposed to extend the torture into the afterlife.**

 **And NyoBelarus scolding Belarus for her fixation with Russia, yet she completely disregards Ukraine… I just** _ **had**_ **to have something like that. I wanted the two Belaruses to be heartwings, but then I realised that there was no way Natalia would help out Ivan if her heartwing opposed to the idea. At the very least, they're friends with a… complicated relationship.**

 **And just a reminder as to the nature of a demon's relationship with their heartwings: they won't stop until the heartwings are demons as well. When they're demons, there's no problem. And keeping in mind what a Nephilim demon is like, you can just imagine the kind of relationship they would have.**


	38. Chapter 37

**Thanks to Zaaze, Eternal Nexus Warrior, assdasd, Olivia Kirkland, ScandinavianTrash, Myrna Maeve, EllaAwkward, Adorable Reader and Skye Phoenix Dove for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 37**

Vlad had been moved to the living room, and Lovino continued to hold him as he trembled. Vlad appeared as though he wasn't even aware of his surroundings. The others were hovering close to the door, looking at the two with concern.

"Ve, what's wrong with Vlad?" Feliciano asked.

"Think about it," Matthew said. "Vlad's been without sunlight for the last nine thousand years. And then he's finally been allowed to go into the sun for a while. And now it's been taken away from him again."

"Vlad's an angel of life," Heracles said. "The sun is a symbol of life. He's been forced to live without that for so long, as a creature of death."

"Like, his very existence for the last nine thousand years was against his nature," Feliks said.

"And with the return of the sun in Vlad's life, he felt as though he had regained something that had been lost," Raj said. "It was one step closer to what he had once been."

"And now it's gone again," Michelle said. "One of the few things in this universe that could make Vlad happy."

The Nephilim were silent as they absorbed the information they had been given. The silence was broken by a sigh from Lars.

"I take it that Vlad wouldn't be teaching us anything today," Lars said.

"Dude," Alfred said, glaring at him, "how can you say something like that?"

"We still have demons outside."

Alfred pursed his lips when he heard Lars's explanation.

"I could teach you something," Jett said. "I think I'd make a better teacher regarding that than Vlad would be, to be honest."

"Nephilim work different than angels," Fletcher said.

"How do you know?"

Fletcher glanced towards Matthew.

"I myself have taught one a technique that my type of angel excels in," Fletcher said.

"So, you have experience," Jack said.

"Doesn't matter," Jett sighed. "I think – between the three of us – we'd be able to teach them what they need to know."

Heracles pursed his lips slightly, knowing that he had just been excluded.

"What about Vlad and Lovino?" Marcello asked.

"Like, leave them," Feliks said. "If anyone can get Vlad out of his funk, it's totally Lovino."

…

Raivis went up to Ivan, who was having a one-sided conversation with the former vampires, telling them of all the things that he would do to make Vlad fall once and for all. Ivan stopped, however, when he caught sight of Raivis.

"Ah, my little Raivis," Ivan said. "Do you have news for me?"

Raivis quickly nodded his head.

"Vlad has learned that he can no longer go into the sun without being burned," Raivis said.

"Good," Ivan said. "I worked hard on that curse. It made me very angry when I learned that it had been broken."

Raivis shuddered.

"Vlad's vulnerable at the moment," Raivis said. "But there are too many other angels there. I can't use my puppets without one of them cutting the strings."

Ivan smiled, walking over towards William. He stroked the Welshman's cheek, who shuddered at the contact.

"We will wait a few days," Ivan said. "Give Vlad a while to heal. After all, sometimes it's more satisfying to bother a cut that has already started to scab over. It is more devastating then."

Raivis glanced towards the vampires, seeing that they appeared a little more aware.

"Is there a chance that you could get some more puppets?" Ivan asked.

"I'm sorry," Raivis said. "They keep the curtains closed now."

"Hmm. Too bad. You mentioned that one of your puppets is a heartwing?"

"Y-yes."

"Is the little angel _there_?"

"Y-yes…"

"When they're alone, I want you to do something for me."

…

"Well," Lovino said. " _This_ is awkward."

Vlad peeked at him, though he didn't say anything. He allowed himself to rest in Lovino's arms for a moment before he pulled himself back.

"Sorry," Vlad whispered. "I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"Don't worry," Lovino said. "It makes you look human. I like that. I would have reacted the same way if the assholes kidnapped me again. Luckily, two of them are dead. And depending on which one is still alive…"

Vlad bit his lip before turning to Lovino.

"There's something you need to know," Vlad said. "The two that had been killed… were revived."

Lovino's eyes widened, and he started to shake.

"W-when were you going to tell me?" Lovino asked.

"I didn't want to," Vlad admitted. "Not at first. I didn't want you to… to react like you're doing now. I wanted to protect you from the pain. Your reaction is the same whenever I hear that Ivan's nearby. It's like what happened on a few occasions when I was with my friends. One time, they didn't tell me but tried everything they could to protect me, and only told me when they could no longer keep him away. And another time when they told me the moment they found out, and I was so consumed with paranoia, just _waiting_ for Ivan to come for me again. It was the waiting that made it worse. It's what's happening right now. Ivan could attack at any time, and I could only wait for him. And let my imagination go wild. Meanwhile, he's sending small tortures my way as a build-up for his grand finale."

Lovino was silent for a moment before he grabbed his head.

"Dammit!" he shouted, and Vlad's eyes widened in surprise. "Why do you make it so damn difficult to be mad at you? You always make sense, and you should be…"

Vlad cocked his head to the side.

"I should be what?" Vlad asked.

Lovino blushed, averting his gaze.

"You should be begging for my forgiveness," Lovino said.

Vlad gave a small smile, giving Lovino a small smile.

"If it's worth anything, I'm sorry," Vlad said.

Lovino's mouth twitched.

"Thanks," Lovino said.

"But you know," Vlad said, "I completely forgot about it after Vas was brought up."

"Oh," Lovino said, blush darkening. "I'm… sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's fine," Vlad said. "Just… I want to know how you learned about him."

Lovino shifted nervously.

"It was the demon that took control of 'Cello," Lovino said. "He… he said that it was the only Nephilim that you allowed to be killed. And…"

Lovino cut himself off.

"And?" Vlad probed.

"Nothing," Lovino said. "I just… The way he said it really got under my skin."

"And I bet that it didn't help that he was using your brother's body."

"…Yeah, that too."

Vlad gave a small smile, squeezing Lovino's shoulder briefly. They heard the front door open, and the two exchanged a look.

"Is someone outside?" Lovino asked nervously, thinking of the inhabitants of the house.

Vlad sniffed the air before he gave a small smile.

"It's Nora," he said. "Don't worry. I highly doubt the demons would be able to go through the front door."

" _Is_ there a way for them to get here?" Lovino asked.

"Yes," Nora said, walking into the room. "They need a formal invitation. Someone who's a little purer than them should allow them to come through."

"That's possibly what they want with Marcello and the others," Vlad said, before turning to Nora. "How are you feeling?"

"My stomach hurts."

"What happened?" Lovino asked.

"You don't want to know," Vlad said.

"I think I can decide that for myself."

Nora smirked lightly.

"I was disembowelled," she said.

Lovino was silent for a moment before he looked at Vlad.

"You were right," Lovino said.

…

All the Nephilim, sans Lovino, were in the training room, Jett at the front, looking at all the Nephilim with a small hint of nervousness.

"Alright," Jett said. "I'm going to teach you a skill known as the spirit weapon. Every angel is capable of summoning one. It mostly manifests as a sword, but…"

"Like, since you're Nephilim and since swords are like totally outdated, you might get something else," Feliks interrupted.

Jett glared at Feliks in annoyance, and the phoenix shrugged.

"I've seen Vlad teach this to a group before," Feliks said.

"Fine," Jett sighed. "Yeah, I guess that that's what I was getting to. Angels know this instinctively, but… You don't, do you?"

Lars huffed.

"If we _did_ , we wouldn't need training," Lars said.

Jett rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Let's take this _very_ slow," Fletcher suggested. "Try to picture your enemies first."

Everyone closed their eyes, trying to picture the vampires they had encountered before. They each subconsciously chose the vampires since they haven't seen one of the demons yet, except for Hans and Vash. Gupta had the most difficulty, since he had seen neither the vampires nor the demons.

"Now try to attack them," Jett said.

" _How_?" Bella demanded.

"With your weapon."

"And… how do we know what weapon to use?" Vash asked.

Jett was silent for a moment before he turned to Feliks.

"How'd Vlad do it?" Jett asked.

"Like, picture them attacking," Feliks said. "Don't try to think of fighting them just yet. Picture _them_ totally attacking you. Like, think of what would happen if they get their hands on you."

Some of the Nephilim winced. Vash's hands trembled when he thought of Miguel and Ludwig and what they would be willing to do to him. Hans was thinking about Raivis, and how Alexandru had been anxious by his presence, and whimpered at the thought. And Henri paled considerably when he thought of the spear of ice that had impaled him, causing him to die for a brief amount of time.

Feliks eyed the Nephilim, a small smirk on his face.

"Now, think of them attacking the person you care the most about," Feliks said.

Feliciano whimpered, thinking about all the things Lovino had gone through, and Lars's hands clenched into fists, the sight of Henri being impaled also coming to mind.

"Now, like, take a step back," Feliks said. "You and your loved one are totally safe. But, like, not for long. They're like coming! And your loved one is behind you, and he (or she) is like hurt totally bad. You like totally can't run! And you can't leave them there. And you see the enemy coming, a totally evil grin on his face. You know what he's totally going to do to you. And, like _he_ knows what he's going to do to you. And, like, he knows that you can't run. You need to fight! And, like, you only have one thing near you. Grab that, and use it to fight the enemy off. Hurry!"

Most of the others had stopped with the exercise in favour of watching Feliks. Some of them had small smiles on their faces, amused by the way that Feliks had immersed himself in his narrative. Jett was looking at him with a bemused expression on his face.

However, someone had taken it pretty seriously, and everyone jumped when he let out a cry of fury. Everyone turned towards Alfred, seeing a baseball bat made of blue energy in his hands. Everyone had to scramble out of the way as he impulsively swung with the bat, looking as though he was trying to bat someone's head off.

"Whoa!" Jett cried out. "Relax, mate."

Alfred had a look of fury on his face, but after Jett spoke he blinked, the look of fury turning to a look of confusion before turning to one of embarrassment. He turned to the others; some of them were shocked, while the others were snickering and trying to tame their laughter.

"Sorry," Alfred said sheepishly.

"Like, it's no problem," Feliks said. "I was kind of like expecting that you'd be the first."

"'Cause I'm the hero?" Alfred asked, grinning.

"No. Because you're an angel of war and it's in your nature to rush in, especially when there's a fight involved."

Alfred pouted, before looking down at the bat in his hands.

"So, is _this_ it?" Alfred asked.

"You have a great amount of strength, right?" Fletcher said. "I've seen you fight. And you seem like someone who works better with bludgeoning."

"But… against vampires it wouldn't make much of a difference… How is it against demons?"

"Hit 'em hard enough, and it doesn't matter," Jett said. "Demons and vampires aren't immune to pain."

"But you _do_ get a few demons who that are total masochists," Jack said.

"Yeah… With _them_ , a plan B is always a good idea."

The other Nephilim had recovered from the surprise of Alfred's 'attack', and some of them were approaching him, intent on examining the bat.

"Look but don't touch," Jett said. "The spirit weapon contains the essence of the angel that it belongs to, and will hurt anyone else that makes contact with it. That's what makes it such a good weapon."

Upon hearing Jett's words the others shrank back a little. Alfred was testing out the weight, comparing it in each hand.

"Shouldn't we get Vlad and Lovi now?" Marcello asked.

"Yeah," Jason added. "I think Vlad would want to know that we're doing this."

Fletcher and Jett shared a look, both a little suspicious at the suddenness of the enquiry. Jett sighed nonetheless.

"I guess," Jett said. "Jackie, why don't you go?"

"I'll go as well," Marcello said.

No one argued against it, knowing that Jack and Marcello were heartwings. It was a natural reaction to want to be around your heartwing. Jack smiled at Marcello's offer, and the two of them left the room as the others resumed the exercise.

…

"So, Nora," Lovino said, turning to the angel, "what exactly are you doing in here?"

"I'm still weak and tired," Nora said. "And sore."

"Disembowelling is an unpleasant experience," Vlad said. "It takes a while to recover, even if you've been healed. You get these phantom pains."

" _You've_ been disembowelled before?" Lovino asked, eyebrow raised.

"Of course," Vlad said. "Nine thousand years on earth. Some of the things I've gone through was due to demons, but there were a few instances when I've been tortured by humans with the intention to kill me."

"What? Why?"

"Humans were very superstitious," Nora said, waving dismissively. "They thought that Vlad was a creature of the devil. It got better after the Age of Enlightenment."

"…So, what else have you been through?"

Nora and Vlad exchanged amused looks.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Nora asked.

Lovino swallowed nervously, before nodding his head.

…

"It was pretty funny in there," Jack said. "I didn't think that anyone would react like that. Well, the phoenix had done a good job."

"Yeah," Marcello said. "But that should be expected of an angel of war."

Jack's eyes widened, hearing that something was off about Marcello's voice. He turned to the Italian, and the Italian was watching him with blank eyes. In the next instant Jack was pinned against the nearby wall, his wrists in the other's grasp.

It would seem Raivis's influence allowed the Nephilim to be a little stronger than he normally would be.

"Raivis," Jack groaned, struggling slightly. "Release him."

"Nope," Raivis said through Marcello. "Out of all my puppets, this one is so far the most useful. Stop struggling. You don't want to hurt your heartwing."

Jack went limp, recognising the subtle threat.

"What do you want?" Jack demanded.

"Mr Ivan wants you to do something for him," Raivis said.

"No."

"You know, I could easily do something to your heartwing. I could take him to the roof. Make him jump off. Or, even better: I could take him flying. Make him go as high as possible. And then I'll withdraw his wings. Or I could channel my own spirit weapon through him. It's _really_ going to hurt him."

Jack was trembling slightly, and Raivis smirked.

"Are you willing to listen now?" Raivis asked.

"Y-yeah," Jack whimpered.

"Good boy."

…

Alice sighed, eyes trained on the ground below. With Nora out of commission and the others acting as guards inside the house, _she_ was the only one that could protect the perimeter against the demons.

It was getting ridiculous. Ivan was drawing this out. Why couldn't he just get to Vlad and get it over with? She didn't want her friend to get hurt again, but it was better than this prolonged torture. She would be there to help him heal afterwards, as before.

But she knew that it wasn't going to happen. Ivan had another plan in mind. He had hostages. One in particular that he could use against Vlad. And Alice knew that Vlad would rather let himself get killed than allow Lovino to be in danger. _Any_ of the Nephilim, actually.

She knew that Ivan was getting impatient. He had wanted Vlad to become a demon for thousands of years. And she knew what would happen if Vlad became a demon. She had heard the rumours.

Information was the currency of hell, and heaven sometimes traded with them as well.

Vlad's strength of will had been recognised by the demons, and even though some of them were aware of the fact that Vlad's powers wouldn't work if he was a demon, all agreed that he would be an asset. His power would become one of destruction.

And with that on their side, the demons would once again launch an attack on heaven.

There was actually a prophecy about it all, and she wondered if Vlad was aware of it. But she knew that _she_ wasn't the one to bring it up. Vlad had enough problems to worry about.

Such as his heartwing.

Alice's eyes widened when she felt something behind her. She turned just in time to see vicious blue eyes framed by silver hair.

…

Jack held Marcello, both of them trembling slightly. This time Marcello didn't pass out and was aware of everything that had happened.

Raivis had told him that he couldn't sever Marcello's strings, otherwise he would call upon one of the other 'puppets' and have them torture Marcello. And Jack wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it.

Raivis had told him what Ivan wanted, and he knew that doing something like that was guaranteed to make him fall. But he was willing to do _anything_ to protect his heartwing.

Even do the unforgivable.

 **I really enjoyed writing Feliks's part. It didn't go as planned, but I ended up smiling the whole time.**

 **And I** _ **love**_ **writing Evil Baltics.**

 **So, I'll be starting with exams on Monday. This usually means that I have more time to work on other projects, and occasionally I get bit by new plot bunnies. Bloody Vengeance, the OT3 Itacest, Return of Transylvania and an Itamania story that I haven't placed a summary for on my profile are all exam bunnies. Hopefully I get to write them. But I've been looking at the CanadaXWorld story, and it's been so long since I've worked on it that I had to reread everything I've written so far before I can continue. That's finished, so when I get a gap and I'm not working on Ve, We Totally Fooled You, HCSS or this story, The World Meets Canada will have my attention. An advantage of having subjects focusing on the application instead of theory.**


	39. Chapter 38

**Thanks to Time Turner, BTT, awas, Zaaze, SenpaiLover101, ScandinavianTrash, Adorable Reader and an anon for reviewing.**

 **And don't worry. Under no circumstance will I ever miss an update. There may be delays, but I will always update.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 38**

It had been rather tense the last two days. Alice had been discovered outside, her wings having been ripped to shreds. She was in pain, but with Nora and Vlad's help the wings had been healed.

But now it meant that all three angels of life were confined to the house. Alice and Nora didn't want to leave them alone, in case someone else needed healing. And it would be unfair for Vlad to shoulder all of the responsibility. The only time they left was when the world became toxic and they needed to return to heaven for a breather.

Jett, Jack and Fletcher also had to regularly return in order to take a breath of fresh air. Whenever that would happen, they would surrender their charges to Vlad or Heracles for the duration of their absence. And Alexandru would also pop in every now and again, hovering around Hans.

By now, everyone was starting to get nervous. Two angels had been injured and a fallen angel had been rendered useless in the sunlight. Not to mention that a demon had managed to take control of four Nephilim, though one of them had been freed from the demon's hold.

It unfortunately had the undesired effect of the others avoiding the ones that had the seed of hypnosis planted in their minds. Or at least avoided being alone with them. It had really started wearing on Jason, Marcello and Henri.

Marcello especially seemed very stressed. He knew about what the demon had asked of Jack, and he knew that _he_ would be the one at fault when Jack went through with it. He didn't want it to happen, but… He also didn't want to die. And he knew what would happen to Jack if something were to happen to him. Or what would happen if he rejected Jack. But he couldn't help but feel guilty whenever he thought about the others, and what might happen to them if the demon did what he intended to do. If he could, he would do anything to stop Jack from going through with it.

Each of the Nephilim had learned how to summon their spirit weapons, and they would often go up and practice using them. Under supervision, of course.

Jett was _still_ a little depressed that Feliks could teach an angel technique better than he could.

…

"Dude, I'm starving," Alfred said.

Matthew sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Al, Lovino and Feli are working on it, so just be patient," Matthew said.

"He's right, though," Bella said. "I _am_ getting hungry."

"It smells so good…" Lili said wistfully, eyes trained on the door.

"It's never taken them so long, has it?" Lars asked.

"It's because they're organising a surprise," Marcello said, smiling.

"How do _you_ know?" Jason asked.

"Well…"

"No fair," Alfred said. "You know what they're cooking in there, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I'm their brother, after all."

Alfred pouted while the others laughed at his expense. Marcello was laughing too until he suddenly stopped, his gaze to the side.

"Hey, Jack, can I speak with you for a moment?" Marcello asked.

Jack looked startled, but nodded his head. The two of them left the room.

"Do you think they're going to make out now?" Alfred asked, a teasing smirk on his face.

"Al, I don't think they're at that stage yet," Jason said.

"Do heartwings even have romantic relationships with each other?" Matthew asked, looking towards Fletcher.

"Usually," Fletcher said, a small smile on his face. "But sometimes they're just _really_ close friends."

"It's like human soulmates," Jett explained. "People always assume that a soulmate is exclusively romantic. But sometimes, a person needs a friend more than they need a romantic partner."

"It's just someone that you can't live without," Fletcher said. "And for an angel, it's usually taken to the extreme."

"I've been curious about it," Vash said, "but what happens if a _demon_ finds their heartwing?"

Jett and Fletcher flinched.

"Something bad," Heracles said. "Demons seek to _possess_ their heartwings. And they don't take no for an answer. If the heartwing is an angel, they will corrupt them. Of course, no heartwing sided against each other in the War. And those that had conflicting opinions usually ended up as Outsiders because they couldn't pick a side. But if an angel had fallen and turned into a demon, but their heartwing remained an angel, then they will drag the angel down too. But there are some that went willingly."

"And in the case of Nephilim," Vlad said, "they don't care which side you are inclined to, as long as you become immortal. They will ensnare you and entrap you, and mould you to their will. They will do everything in their power to make you succumb to Stockholm Syndrome. You don't become their partner. You become their slave."

The Nephilim shuddered at the description.

"Do you think… any of _us_ …?" Henri asked.

"I hope not," Vlad said. "But if it _is_ … I will try everything in my power to make sure that they don't get you."

"And… if there's nothing you _can_ do?" Bella asked.

"…Then you have my sincerest apologies."

…

Jack followed after Marcello, eyes downcast. He knew that it wasn't Marcello in control. Raivis had something to tell him.

Eventually Marcello stopped, turning to Jack and looking at him with blank eyes.

"Tonight," Raivis said through Marcello. "You will do it tonight. And don't you dare to disobey. You wouldn't want your heartwing to get hurt now, do you?"

Jack gulped before shaking his head, and Raivis smirked.

"Good boy."

"At what time do you want it to happen?" Jack asked.

"After midnight. And don't try to disobey. I'll have Marcello accompany us."

Jack averted his eyes, and in the next instant Marcello crashed into him, grabbing his shirt. Jack wrapped his arms around the shorter male as he trembled.

"I-I don't want you to do it," Marcello said. "Please. D-don't…"

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered. "I don't want to do this either."

"Then don't!"

"I can't. If I don't, you'll…"

"I don't care what happens to me. All of the others… I can't. What's going to happen to them?"

Jack swallowed nervously.

"I don't know," he whispered. "And I don't know what to tell you to make you feel better."

Marcello sniffed, and Jack noticed for the first time that he was crying.

"I'm not worth it," Marcello said. "Please. You can't let whatever that creep is planning to happen to them."

"Marcello," Jack said, hugging him tighter. "You truly _are_ an angel of love. You care for the others, and would even sacrifice yourself for them. And you're wrong. You're worth _everything_ to me. I will even abandon heaven for you. And I think that that's what I'm doing."

…

After dinner, Vlad had retreated to his room, lying on the bed with a book. Since he had been asleep for the last twenty years, he had a _lot_ of catching up to do in the literature department, and while Feliks didn't have much in the way of a library, he _did_ have a storeroom filled with books. He just had no interest in making the shelves. Vlad _really_ needed to encourage him to do that.

"H-hey," a voice said from the doorway. "C-can I come in?"

Vlad looked up to see Lovino standing at the doorway and nodded his head. The Italian walked in and lay down next to him.

"Is something wrong?" Vlad asked.

"I… I don't know," Lovino admitted. "I just get this weird feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"What exactly do you think will happen?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does. Some angels can get a feel of what would happen, through their intuition. Normally, whenever Ivan's nearby, it feels as though my skin is crawling, which tells me that he would hurt my entire body. And he always does. But this time… It's only my heart that's tingling. It's like an itch that you can't reach."

Lovino stared at him wide-eyed, and Vlad frowned in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Vlad asked.

"That's… how _I_ feel," Lovino said.

Vlad's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled Lovino into a hug.

"I want you to stay with me tonight," Vlad said. "Do you hear me?"

Lovino clung to Vlad and nodded mutely. He could tell that there was something seriously wrong.

"Could you… wrap your wings around me?" Lovino asked.

Vlad looked at him with surprise, before nodding. He knew that Lovino needed a security blanket, and no blanket was as secure as an angel's wings.

Vlad pulled out his wings and curled them around Lovino, and his eyes widened when he realised that there were more white feathers than before.

…

"Are you sure you don't want some help?" Feliciano asked.

Marcello smiled from his place at the sink. Feliciano and Lovino had prepared seven different types of pasta, and after setting aside the leftovers Marcello had volunteered to wash the dishes, and naturally Jack accompanied him.

"I'm sure," Marcello said. "You and Lovi deserve a break."

"But…"

"It's _fine_ , fratello. Let me… Let me do something to help. Please?"

Feliciano sighed, and Heracles placed a hand on his shoulder. Feliciano looked towards the fallen angel, who was smiling softly.

"If it makes him happy, I say you let him do what he wants," Heracles said.

"But still…" Feliciano said.

"Don't worry about it," Jack said. "You've done so much work fixing the dinner. You deserve a break. Go… snuggle on your bed or something."

Feliciano blushed slightly, but Heracles seemed unbothered.

"Alright then," Heracles said. "Let's go, Feli."

Feliciano threw his brother one last look before following Heracles out of the kitchen. As soon as they were alone Marcello slumped, burying his wet fingers in his hair.

"I'm sorry, fratello," Marcello said. "Feli… Lovi…"

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered. "If you… say you hate me. That you want nothing to do with me… I'll understand. I… deserve it."

"N-no," Marcello said, shaking his head. "You don't."

"Yes, I do! And if you say it… I won't be able to do what they want me to do. I'd… turn to stone. And nothing will happen."

Marcello looked at Jack, horrified. He buried his face in the angel's chest, and Jack held him tight.

"I d-don't… I don't w-want that," Marcello said, tears falling. "You don't deserve it. I-I can't do that to you. I… I'd be lying. I… I like you. I-I can't call it 'love' yet, b-but… I like you."

Jack gave a small smile in spite of himself, and he pulled Marcello even closer.

…

Vlad smiled, feeling the heavy weight on his chest. Lovino was fast asleep, clinging to Vlad's shirt. His breathing was steady, and Vlad was happy.

So far, he had only used his contact telepathy to keep Lovino's nightmares away, and occasionally he would slip in the accidental memory. But, perhaps… he could give Lovino a dream. A dream that would explain everything, but at the same time it wouldn't say too much. Lovino would remember it as a dream, and only remember some of it, as with all dreams. Vlad could say what he couldn't afford to say out loud.

After all, what happened in Lovino's dream wouldn't affect him at all.

…

 _Lovino stared around in slight surprise. It was a dim room, with a coffin in the centre. He was standing at the door, and perched on top of the coffin was Vlad._

" _What the hell is this?" Lovino asked._

" _This is where we first met," Vlad said. "When I woke up after a twenty-year sleep. Do you remember?"_

 _Lovino frowned, looking closely at the room again, and especially the coffin._

" _Yeah," Lovino said. "Why are we here?"_

" _This is a dream, Lovino," Vlad said. "Tell_ me _what we're doing here. It's_ your _dream, after all."_

 _Lovino was silent for a moment, unable to think of an answer._

" _Let's step outside," Vlad said, standing up from the coffin._

 _Lovino's eyes widened. He remembered what happened when they went outside the room. Antonio, Francis and Gilbert…_

" _It will be alright," Vlad said. "Do you trust me?"_

 _Lovino didn't need to think. He simply nodded his head._

 _He followed Vlad out of the room, and his eyes widened in surprise. Instead of the church, they found themselves in the clearing where the house was located, except there was no house in sight. The sunlight was warm, but not too bright. It felt more comfortably warm than even a bed._

 _Vlad sat down on the grass, and Lovino sat down next to him. Vlad was looking at the sky with an easy smile, his eyes sparkling like rubies._

" _Don't you wish that every day would be like this?" Vlad asked._

" _I guess so," Lovino said._

" _I do. There's no pain. No heartache. No Winter."_

" _No vampires…" Lovino muttered._

" _Exactly. Hey, Lovino, could I ask you something?"_

" _Hmm?"_

" _If I were to tell you that you're my heartwing, what would you say?"_

" _I'd say you're full of shit," Lovino said. "There's no way that they'd make_ me _your heartwing. You deserve better."_

 _Lovino's eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly found himself on his back, Vlad looming over him._

" _Don't you ever think that," Vlad said. "If there's anyone here that deserves better, it's_ you _. I would descend into hell for you. I would sacrifice_ everything _for you. You're more than just my heartwing. You're my heart and soul."_

 _Lovino stared at Vlad with wide eyes before he turned his head to the side._

" _You don't mean that," Lovino said. "I don't want you to be stuck with_ me _forever."_

 _Lovino could feel Vlad's fingers underneath his chin, and his face was tilted to look at Vlad. Vlad didn't speak, but placed a gentle kiss on his lips._

 _Lovino broke the kiss when he heard music playing, and he saw Vlad's eyes turn fearful._

" _What is it?" Lovino asked. "What's going on?"_

 _The sky turned dark, and Lovino cried out in fear when he saw that he was alone. Vlad was gone._

…

Just before midnight Marcello's eyes snapped open. Jack had kept a vigil over the Italian and could see that it wasn't Marcello, but Raivis taking control of Marcello.

"It's time," Raivis said, climbing out of the bed.

Jack swallowed nervously before nodding his head, and he followed Marcello.

Outside the house.

He swallowed nervously, feeling the air turning colder. There was no one standing guard right now. Nora and Alice were still too weak from their injuries, and Feliks, Michelle and Raj wouldn't be able to fight against the demons when they came. Heracles was still with Feliciano, unable to shake off his own feelings of unease.

There was no one to stop them. Jack wished there were.

As they approached the edge of the barrier he could see the demons gathered there, along with the resurrected vampires. All of the vampires had glowing red eyes, and Jack could see their hunger and anticipation. They had the look of predators, and several of them stared at Marcello.

Jack swallowed nervously as Marcello came to a stop. He was standing on the very edge, and the demons and vampires need only reach out to touch him. Jack moved so that he was standing in front of Marcello, shielding his body for when the first attack would come.

Ivan smiled down at Jack, and the angel shuddered. Ivan had been creepy as an angel. He was even creepier as a demon.

"Do not make us wait," Ivan said.

Jack swallowed nervously, looking at all the demons and vampires. He took a deep breath, feeling as though there were hands on his wrists, dragging him down.

"I grant you access," Jack said. "You may enter this sacred ground, without any repercussions."

Ivan's smile widened, and he took a step forward. Jack swallowed nervously as Ivan stepped past him, and once he was behind him and Marcello Ivan stopped before turning back to the others.

"Come along then," Ivan said.

Jack tensed when the vampires started to follow Ivan, and Jack waited for one of them to reach out for Marcello. He would defend his heartwing against the vampires and demons.

"You're detestable."

Jack's eyes widened, and he turned to see Marcello, his face twisted in hatred. But his eyes remained blank.

"You have doomed _everyone_ in that house," Marcello continued. "You endangered my brothers. I _hate_ you."

"No," Jack whispered, taking a step back. He turned to Raivis. "Stop this!"

"But I'm not doing anything," Raivis said, smiling sweetly.

"It disgusts me to be the heartwing of someone like you," Marcello said. "I will not be your heartwing."

Jack could feel his heart stop, and a terrible pain erupted in his chest. He knew that it wasn't Marcello, but… It was still _his_ voice.

Jack could feel the tears gathering in his eyes, and he fell to the ground as his vision turned black.

Raivis stared at Jack blankly as he severed the connection with Marcello. The Italian cried out, before crouching down next to Jack.

The angel was supposed to be turned to stone. But perhaps, because the heartwing didn't _truly_ have the intent… Oh well. Maybe he would never wake up. It didn't really matter.

"Jack!" Marcello cried out. "Please! Wake up!" He turned to regard Raivis. "How could you? You _bastard_!"

There was a chuckle from somewhere behind Marcello, and he turned around to see Francis. Marcello's eyes widened.

"You are definitely Lovino's brother," Francis said, walking towards Marcello. "I wonder if your taste is as delicious as his."

…

Ivan led the way until they were almost on the porch. He stopped before turning to the vampires.

"Inside are the Nephilim," Ivan said. "I want as many of them as possible. Little William, if you would be so kind?"

William nodded his head, and he started to sing, each note laced with magic. Enticing and sweet, beckoning all mortals who heard it to come and listen.

The Siren's March.

 **This chapter didn't** _ **quite**_ **go as planned, but I wanted to add another Vlad/Lovino moment before everything goes down. And Marcello and Jack provided so much angst…**


	40. Chapter 39

**Thanks to EllaAwkward, BTT, Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, KoonAgeroAgnis, ScandinavianTrash, mehloveshorror, CosmicDucks, Adorable Reader and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 39**

Vlad's eyes widened when he heard singing. The melody was haunting yet captivating, and he could hear the magic laced in every note. He knew this. He had heard this kind of thing before.

The siren's march.

He was startled when Lovino suddenly sat up, and the other made to get out of the bed.

"Lovino?" Vlad asked, but Lovino didn't react.

Vlad gritted his teeth when he realised that Lovino was under the effects of the siren's march, and he quickly pulled the other back, straddling him to pin him down. He swore when he saw Lovino's blank eyes.

"Lovino, wake up," Vlad said.

He used his contact telepathy, allowing his mind to enter Lovino's to rid him of the spell placed upon him. He saw the dark cloud and scowled.

It seemed like forever before Lovino's eyes cleared, and he yelped when he realised his position, his face turning red. Vlad sighed in relief, his grip loosening slightly. He immediately felt guilt when he realised that his grip had reflexively tightened.

"W-what are you doing?" Lovino demanded. "Get off me."

"I'm sorry," Vlad said, sitting back slightly and moving his hands from around Lovino's arms to his head. "I just need to finish this one thing."

"H-hey…"

"Shh."

Lovino remained still, a scowl on his face. Finally Vlad sighed, pulling back.

"What. The. Hell?" Lovino asked, accentuating each word.

"Someone's using the siren's march," Vlad explained. "I needed to make sure that it wouldn't be able to affect you anymore."

Lovino's eyes widened.

"W-who…?" he asked.

Vlad gasped, scrambling off of Lovino.

"The others!" Vlad said. "They're in danger as well."

Vlad rushed to the door, but once he reached it he paused, turning to Lovino.

"By the way," Vlad said, "what were you dreaming about? You seemed happy."

Lovino frowned, before shaking his head.

"I don't remember," he said.

Vlad could detect no hint of a lie, and he couldn't help but feel the pang in his chest. He sighed, before he gave a small smile.

"Please stay in here," Vlad said. "It's for your own protection."

Lovino nodded his head, and Vlad left the room, closing the door behind him. He hesitated, before placing a magical seal on it as well, preventing anyone from the outside being able to open it except for him.

He then ran off, going to the floor below.

He and Lovino were the only ones staying on the third floor. All of the others preferred the second floor. And he hoped that he hadn't wasted any time.

The siren's march could affect a whole group of people. And if Lovino had been affected, then the others surely were as well.

…

Fletcher was still keeping watch over Jason. He frowned slightly when he heard music, and soon after that Jason woke up, climbing out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Fletcher asked.

Jason didn't answer him, and Fletcher turned on the light, his night vision poor in comparison to Vlad's. He gasped when he realised that Jason's eyes were blank, informing him that Jason was currently being controlled. His expression twisted, and he tackled the Nephilim to the ground, placing his hand over his eyes.

His eyes widened when he realised that it wasn't because of Raivis's influence that Jason was currently in this state, but something else. Something that still had the power to control him.

He heard a groan and removed his hand. He sighed in relief when he saw that Jason was back to his normal self.

"What's going on?" Jason asked, before his eyes widened in realisation. "D-did he…?"

"I don't know," Fletcher said. "But you're safe now."

…

Ivan led the vampires inside, along with Toris and Eduard. William was staying outside in order to handle the siren's march, and Alistair was keeping watch over him in case someone thought it wise to interrupt the spell being cast. Francis was also not with the group.

Ivan smiled at the vampires, who were eagerly sniffing the air, absorbing the scent of the Nephilim. While they no longer _needed_ blood, they still enjoyed it. And he wondered if they had even gotten the memo that they didn't need blood anymore.

"Don't be too bothered about the Nephilim, unless you see that the spell on them has been broken," Ivan said. "But you need to stop anyone that gets in your way. I don't care what they are. But only go after the Nephilim when you see that they're no longer obeying William's song."

The vampires nodded their heads, before they set off.

"Antonio, stay with me," Ivan said, stopping the Spaniard. "I have a specific target in mind."

…

Jett saw Henri rising from his bed, and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The other didn't inform him of the necessity of a bathroom trip or a glass of water, as had happened once or twice. So, just before Henri could make his way to the door, Jett was standing in front of him, barring his path.

"Where do you think _you're_ going, kid?" Jett asked.

When Henri didn't respond, Jett instantly turned on the light. He sighed in frustration when he saw that the other's eyes were blank, and that the other wouldn't even look at him.

Jett gently grabbed Henri's chin and urged the teen to look him in the eye. He wasn't a contact telepath and needed eye contact to establish a connection. There were others that didn't _need_ contact telepathy, but who had it and used it because it was stronger. Fletcher was someone like that.

Henri blinked a few times, and with each blink Jett could see that the Nephilim's eyes became clear. Henri looked up at him in confusion.

"What's going on?" Henri asked.

"You were playing marionette," Jett said.

Henri looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened in realisation.

"You mean… I…?"

"Yeah," Jett said. "It's over now, though."

…

Heracles and Feliciano were resting in the same bed, with Heracles's arms wrapped securely around Feliciano. So when Feliciano started to move, Heracles immediately woke up.

"Feli, what's wrong?" Heracles asked.

When he didn't receive an answer, Heracles sent a psychic impulse towards Feliciano and realised that the other was in a trance. So while the connection was established, Heracles quickly moved to undo it.

Feliciano sighed, cuddling against Heracles. The fallen angel smiled, comparing Feliciano with a cat at that moment. He was so adorable.

But still, he couldn't help but feel that something about the situation was wrong.

…

Raj was immediately awoken by a foreign scent invading his senses. He listened carefully, hearing voices that he didn't recognise, and one that he _did_.

He also realised that there were _many_ scents, which meant that they were dealing with an invasion.

He quickly departed from his room and went downstairs, trying to determine what was going on. He was greeted by glowing red eyes that did _not_ belong to Vlad.

The owner of the eyes lunged at him, but Raj managed to block it. He was surprised by the strength the other possessed, though. It would seem that the first chance he got, he would need to transform into his true form.

The stranger threw him against the wall, and Raj could hear and feel footsteps running past him.

"What is this guy?"

"He stinks."

He was a _little_ insulted by that. So he started to focus on his true form, and he could feel his body shifting.

Kasem was the one that had attacked Raj, and he had thought that the other was pretty weak. At least, until he started to transform. The Thai had a wild look in his eyes when he realised that he was staring at a naga, and that the other's strength would only increase when the change was complete. He was… excited. It offered the opportunity to test his new strength.

And he would need to provide a distraction for the others.

Raj noticed that there were other smells approaching, and his eyes widened when he realised that they belonged to the Nephilim. He lunged at the nearest intruder, wincing when he felt sharp fingernails like claws.

He was aware of the sounds of someone singing, and he wondered how many of the others were aware. He and Vlad were the only ones with impeccable hearing.

He needed to make sure that the others were made aware. He knew that Feliks would probably be angry, but it was necessary.

Standing nearby was a statue that Feliks had acquired a thousand years ago, and which was probably worth a fortune.

…

Feliks was jolted awake when he heard something breaking. Something… expensive.

He had an instinct for that. Vlad said that it was an instinct more suited for a dragon, but Feliks didn't really care.

He had a taste for the finer things in life, and if someone threatened it…

With a snarl he jumped out of bed, ready to see what the commotion was. And make someone pay if they had broken something.

…

Fletcher and Jason jumped when they heard something breaking downstairs. Both of them had their attentions on the door.

"Something's wrong," Fletcher muttered.

"Um, Fletcher," Jason said. "You don't think… I wasn't the _only_ one being controlled. What if…?"

Fletcher's eyes widened.

"Matthew…" Fletcher whispered. "Stay here!"

Jason nodded as Fletcher rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Jason sighed, getting comfortable on the bed.

Fletcher's eyes widened when he realised that there were intruders outside. He snarled, immediately turning towards Matthew's room, only to run into Matthew himself.

"Matthew?" Fletcher asked, and his eyes widened in realisation when Matthew remained unresponsive.

"Looks like he's sleepwalking," a voice said mockingly.

Fletcher turned around to see the speaker, and his face twisted in disgust. His eyes might not have been the best in the dark, but he could make out the figure in the gloom. It was one of the vampires, who he _knew_ had been killed about two weeks prior.

He knew, because _he_ was the one to kill the vampire.

Leon.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Fletcher asked, moving Matthew behind him.

In the darkness, Fletcher could see the red eyes and the fangs glowing eerily white. And as his eyes adjusted, he could see that Leon wasn't simply playing.

"I'm here to fulfil the will of my master," Leon said. "And he wants the Nephilim."

Fletcher growled in warning, but he couldn't help but notice that Matthew was still unresponsive. Quickly grabbing Matthew's wrist, Fletcher channelled as much psychic energy as he could muster in order to undo the effects of whatever was controlling Matthew.

But while Fletcher was distracted by returning Matthew to normal, Leon launched his attack, and Fletcher was forced to discover that the vampire could sharpen his nails into claws. He received a long slash from shoulder to opposite hip, and he was forced back.

But before he could fall on top of Matthew he managed to push the Nephilim to the side.

"F-Fletcher?" Matthew asked. "W-what's going on?"

Fletcher sighed in relief when he realised that Matthew was back to normal. He tried to stand, but Leon kicked him in the ribs, making his new wound hurt even worse as the cut and the impact of the kick intersected. Fletcher cried out in pain.

"Looks like your little angel can't protect you," Leon said.

"Matthew," Fletcher said. "Run."

"You're not going anywhere, _Matthew_. Except with _us_."

Fletcher cried out in pain when Leon grabbed a fistful of his hair, before throwing him through a door. Literally. Fletcher couldn't help but notice that Leon seemed a lot stronger than before.

"Fletch?!"

Fletcher lifted his head, and he was relieved to see that he had fallen into Henri's room, where Jett was keeping watch.

"Hey," Fletcher said. "A little help would be appreciated."

"Let go of me!"

Fletcher's eyes widened when he heard Matthew's voice, and he tried to stand, but he was in too much pain.

"Stay there," Jett instructed. "I'll help you out."

Jett ran out of the room, and Fletcher sighed in relief.

"What's going on?" Henri asked.

"Trouble," Fletcher said.

Henri's face grew determined, and he rushed out of the room as well, ignoring Fletcher's protests.

…

Alistair was a little bored. And he could tell that William wanted to take a break from his singing. He wondered if it was even _working_.

His ears perked when he heard someone landing behind him, and he turned to see a woman with cold eyes, but an insane smile on her face.

"Who are you?" Alistair demanded.

"I'm the sister of your master," she said. "And I came to offer my brother some assistance."

…

Vlad's eyes widened when he saw the scene. On the floor below, Raj was coiled around a figure, but the other was pressing back with equal strength, if not more. Both Raj and his victim had strained expressions on their faces.

Jett was also fighting against someone, and Henri was attempting to help out, alternating between fighting the vampires and stopping the other Nephilim, who were obviously affected by the siren's march.

Matthew was crouched over an injured Fletcher, trying to get him to safety. Vlad could clearly see the blood staining the front of his shirt.

He couldn't see Ivan, but he _knew_ that the other's scent was there.

He saw Feliks enter from the other side of the hallway, looking absolutely furious. And he could see one of the vampires going closer to fight the phoenix.

And Vlad would have to join the battle as well.

But he would need to get the Nephilim out of the trance first.

He cursed the fact that his telepathy was limited to contact, but it couldn't be helped.

And naturally, Alice and Nora weren't currently there, since they had to return in order to speed up their healing. The two of them had contact telepathy as well, and could heal their allies.

It would have made things much easier.

He sighed, before he caught sight of a familiar face. Someone who gave him a dark, calculating smile. Someone who he _knew_ was going to hurt him in as many harsh ways as possible.

Natalia.

…

"Why are we taking _this_ route?" Antonio asked. "Isn't there another one that's _much_ faster?"

"Da," Ivan said. "Which is the one that Vlad will be using. We don't want to find _him_. We want to find little Lovino."

"…Why are _you_ interested in Lovino?"

"He is the ultimate weapon against Vlad. The one that Vlad has no defence against."

Antonio shook his head, frowning slightly.

"I'll take your word for it," Antonio said. "As long as I get Lovi."

"That will have to wait."

"But…"

"Are you going against your master?" Ivan asked threateningly.

Antonio shuddered.

"Of course not," he said.

"Good boy."

There was more than one staircase, but they were on opposite sides of the house. The one that Antonio and Ivan were currently climbing was rarely-used. The only one who had a room nearby was Feliks, but the phoenix was currently preoccupied with the battle. And his sense of smell was non-existent.

And with all the other scents surrounding the building, it was becoming harder and harder for anyone to pinpoint individual scents.

But Ivan already knew where Lovino was, so even if the many scents interfered, he could find his target.

And Vlad would be overwhelmed by the scents, so he wouldn't catch on until it was too late.

…

Heracles perked up when he heard the door open. He scowled when he saw Eduard standing on the other side of the door.

"So, _this_ is your heartwing?" Eduard asked. "I see you're perfect for each other. Heavy sleepers and all."

That was when Heracles heard the sounds of battle, and he stood from the bed, standing protectively in front of Feliciano.

"Leave, now," Heracles said. "Before you see what a fallen angel can do."

"Oh, I already have first-hand experience," Eduard said. "But… I'll admit that it wouldn't be worth the trouble."

Heracles watched as Eduard closed the door, and once the demon was gone he sighed, looking down at Feliciano.

If he hadn't been there, the demon _would_ have gone for Feliciano. But Eduard was smart, and didn't want to start a fight against someone who he knew he couldn't defeat.

But now Heracles knew that there were demons in the house, and he wouldn't leave Feliciano's side for _anything_.

…

Ivan and Antonio arrived at a door, and with the distance placed between them and the others, the scent of the one inside was clear. Antonio smirked, instantly recognising it as Lovino's.

"Looks like little Vlad has placed a seal on the door," Ivan said, though he didn't lose his calm smile. "Silly. He should know by now that it wouldn't keep me out."

Ivan raised his hand, and on the door a seal became visible. Ivan's smile became impossibly wide as a dark light came from his outstretched hand.

…

Lovino was getting a little restless. He could clearly hear that there was something going on downstairs. He wanted to see what was happening, but at the same time he was worried that he would get in Vlad's way, or that he would mess up in some other way.

He also couldn't help but wonder why Vlad was interested in his dream. And why he couldn't remember any of it at all. Maybe Vlad just wanted to know if he was sleeping soundly.

But why did he seem so disappointed?

Lovino gasped, his chest no longer simply feeling uncomfortable, but there was a pain there as well. Every one of his instincts was telling him that something was wrong. That they were all in danger.

The door was suddenly thrown open, and Lovino jumped in surprise. He paled and backed up when he saw who it was.

"Hello again, Lovi," Antonio said. "I've missed you."

Lovino was completely paralysed with fear, not only because he was seeing one of his former tormentors again, but because Vlad's tormentor was right behind him.

Lovino shook out of his trance when Antonio took a step forward, and he did the first thing that came to his mind.

"VLAD!"

 **I wanted more to happen. I also wanted everything a little more detailed. But I also wanted to end on this note. And it would be cruel to draw it out. So I leave it on a cliffhanger instead.**


	41. Chapter 40

**Thanks to Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, Atzuyi, BTT, Mehloveshorror, EllaAwkward, EpicJellyfish7, ScandinavianTrash, CosmicDucks, PorcelenaRota, Adorable Reader and an anon for reviewing. We've passed 300 reviews. Thanks.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 40**

"VLAD!"

Vlad jumped when he heard Lovino's scream and instinctively turned his head towards the direction the scream had come from. Natalia took advantage of his distraction and slashed at his throat, making Vlad stumble back.

But he knew that his heartwing was in danger, and he wouldn't allow anyone to keep him from going to Lovino's aid.

"Out of my way," he snarled, attempting to move past Natalia, but the demon was fast and relentless. She had an insane smile on her face.

"How far are you willing to go for your precious heartwing?" Natalia asked.

Vlad snarled, and he could feel his fingernails lengthening and sharpening, becoming claws. He could also feel his teeth sharpen to a dangerous point.

He lunged at Natalia, and was irked by the fact that she was gleeful about his semi-transformation.

"You can't handle much more," she said before disappearing.

His eyes widened, and he ran as fast as he could to his room, where Lovino was supposed to be. But when he saw the wide-open door, he knew. And when he looked inside the room, the confirmation made him feel as though his heart was shattering.

Lovino was gone.

…

Emil was the one that had gone to challenge Feliks. He had been confident that the phoenix wouldn't do anything that would end in his house being burned down, only to be informed that Feliks had already fireproofed _everything_ in the house.

Which meant that Feliks had no qualms about sending fireballs the vampire's way.

Emil had been informed that fire could no longer kill him, but that didn't stop it from hurting like a bitch. He hated having to dodge, but he was supposed to be distracting the phoenix. But now he wished that the task had fallen to another.

Both of them paused when they heard an anguished scream coming from the floor above. Feliks's eyes widened as he recognised the voice.

"Vlad…" he whispered.

Emil smirked. Hearing Vlad's voice like that… it was probably the best thing the entire night.

And with the phoenix distracted, Emil used the opportunity to make a hasty retreat. They probably had enough Nephilim by now.

"Hey!" Feliks shouted. "Like, where do you think _you're_ going?"

Emil turned back and smirked, before using his newfound teleportation powers to get out of there.

…

Alistair smirked, looking at the Nephilim gathered around them. He figured that they had enough by now.

"Alright, Will," Alistair said. "I think we can go."

William stopped his singing before he nodded, and with a snap of their fingers they were gone, along with the Nephilim around them.

…

The moment the siren's song stopped, the vampires all cocked their heads. They knew that it was the signal for them to leave.

And yet, they couldn't help but notice certain Nephilim being around. Matthew and Henri in the hallway, Jason and Feliciano in their rooms. But Feliciano had a guard dog, so to speak, and Henri was hiding behind Jett, though he had a weapon drawn. A weapon that Leon had learned could hurt. And Jason was in his room, behind a closed door.

And Matthew was next to an injured angel…

It was an opportunity that none of the vampires wanted to let slip through their fingers. And so they didn't.

Leon quickly grabbed Matthew, earning a surprised yelp and a cry of outrage from Fletcher, and in the next instant they were gone, along with the other vampires.

All except one…

…

Vlad stared at the empty room in front of him. He could feel his heart starting to ache, the absence of his heartwing already affecting him.

He had promised to keep him safe. He had promised to protect him.

He failed.

Vlad sank to his knees, already feeling an overwhelming sense of despair. It was all his fault. He couldn't save Lovino. Ivan would… would…

Images of Vas came to mind, and Vlad could feel the tears brimming in his eyes. He didn't want Lovino to suffer the same fate as Vas.

He knew that he didn't have enough time. He needed to save Lovino. And he would descend into the depths of Hell to do it.

Which he knew he would probably have to do.

…

Lovino cried out when he was thrown to the ground. He looked over his shoulders, his eyes wide. He didn't want to see this sight again, but it was unavoidable.

Antonio was staring down at him, grinning wide, a hunger in his eyes that Lovino knew well. He backed up a little, his old memories that had finally been buried clawing their way from the soil, as though trying to mock Lovino by telling him that they weren't dead yet.

"I've missed you, Lovi," Antonio said, stepping closer.

Lovino closed his eyes, expecting to be bitten like old times, but a cold, child-like chuckle snapped him from his fear and reminded him that he was not alone with the vampire.

There was someone much, _much_ worse there.

"There's no need to scare our guest," Ivan said. "We want to make him feel comfortable, after all."

Antonio grumbled, but stepped back. Instead of feeling reassured, Lovino only felt a huge amount of fear. The influence that Ivan held over Antonio…

Lovino swallowed nervously, before he focused on Ivan. There was a relaxed smile on his face, but the expression revealed nothing of his emotions. It made him all the scarier.

"H-how did you get in?" Lovino demanded.

Ivan's smile widened, and he turned to the side. Lovino also turned when he heard footsteps, and he paled when he saw Francis, carrying a familiar figure. When Francis was close enough he smirked, before dropping the unconscious teen he was carrying.

"Marcello!" Lovino shouted, rushing to his little brother.

Marcello was very pale, and he fell in a way that revealed the two puncture wounds on his neck. He didn't even make a sound when he was dropped, and the only evidence that suggested that he was still alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"He was so nice," Ivan said. "He managed to convince his heartwing to allow us entry. And then he told little Jack that he hates him, breaking his heart."

Lovino glared at Ivan. He knew that Marcello liked Jack, and would _never_ tell him that he hated him. He knew what would happen if that was the case. And the only way for Marcello to want to 'convince' Jack was if he was being controlled.

Like that day…

He had seen what it was like if Marcello was under the demon's control. They could have taken control of him again when he was alone with Jack and threaten him.

"W-what do you want with me?" Lovino asked. "Because there's no way a big bastard like you would go for me personally with all the other bastards to follow your orders like obedient little mutts. Guys like you are lazy."

Lovino knew that it was stupid, but it felt so _good_ to insult the three the way he did. He knew that he couldn't physically fight them, and that his only weapon was his tongue. And the annoyance that Antonio and Francis clearly displayed was _very_ satisfying.

Ivan was also not immune to it. His eyes had narrowed very slightly, and his smile had grown smaller.

"It seems that Vlad didn't lie when he said he wouldn't tell you," Ivan said.

"Tell me what?" Lovino demanded, feeling a little hurt when he learned that Vlad had kept something else from him.

"But of course, you're also too stupid to figure it out for yourself," Ivan continued. "Did it never occur to you that Vlad spends more time with you than any of the others? Even his old friends? Or that you sleep in the same bed?"

"H-how do you know about that?"

Ivan didn't answer, instead continuing.

"Why do you think that Vlad tells you about his past?" Ivan asked. "Instead of telling you to forget about it. And have you not noticed that you wish to be around him as much as possible? That you seek him out? That you wish to comfort him?"

Lovino simply stared at Ivan, wondering how he could _possibly_ know all of that. How much did he know?

" _You_ , Lovino, are Vlad's heartwing," Ivan said.

…

Feliks had gone upstairs to find Vlad. He was disturbed when he saw him in front of his room, staring at the interior with blank eyes, a trail of tears staining his cheeks. Feliks didn't even need to ask what had happened.

"Like, we should make a plan," Feliks said.

"I know," Vlad said. "I started thinking about it. My first thought was that Ivan would have gone to his domain, but he wouldn't. It would be too easy."

"Or, like, maybe he totally thought that you would, like, think that, so he like totally went there?"

Vlad shrugged.

"Like, we could always ask the vampire that stayed behind," Feliks said.

Vlad turned to face Feliks with a surprised expression.

"What?" he asked.

"Like, one of the vampires couldn't get away because he was like totally wrapped up in Raj's coils," Feliks explained.

Vlad looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded.

"That sounds like a plan," he said. "Let's get going."

…

One by one, the Nephilim awoke in a cell. The only one that had been awake for the whole time was Matthew, who had been curled up in the corner of the cell.

When Alfred caught sight of Matthew his eyes widened, and he immediately made his way to his brother's side.

"Mattie!" Alfred exclaimed. "Where are we?"

Matthew glanced over towards Alfred and swallowed nervously.

"We've been captured by the demons," Matthew said. "And the vampires that work for them."

Everyone's eyes widened when they heard that. Some of them showed clear signs of new fear.

"W-what happened?" Alfred asked nervously. "W-where was Vlad a-and the others?"

"They were fighting," Matthew said. "But… there were too many of them. And I think the vampires got stronger. We fought them, remember? One of them managed to hurt Fletcher so bad that he couldn't even fight again."

"Oh no," Vash whispered, and all attention turned to him. "I… I think I know. I-I was captured by a vampire like that. I think he mentioned that he was stronger, and… I mean, he managed to keep Vlad back, so… Anyway, it's a vampire that's been revived by demons."

Alfred looked around the cell, before turning to Matthew.

"Where's Jason?" Alfred asked.

"I didn't see him," Matthew said. "I think he's still safe." He turned to Bella and Lars. "And Henri was fighting. I don't think they took him. But… I haven't seen Lovino, Feliciano or Marcello at all."

"Do you think they managed to get away?" Gupta asked.

"I-I don't know," Matthew said. "But I don't think Lovino did. He was screaming for Vlad. He sounded scared. I… I think they took him to get to Vlad."

"Makes sense," Lars said. "Since he's Vlad's heartwing and everything."

Those that didn't know all widened their eyes.

"That explains so much," Matthew said. "I don't think I've ever heard Lovino insult Vlad."

"But what about Feliciano or Marcello?" Bella asked.

"Feliciano is Heracles's heartwing," Gupta said. "And Marcello is Jack's. I think they want to hurt as many angel heartwings as possible, and so they want to keep them isolated."

"But…" Hans said. " _I'm_ a heartwing."

"And… So am I," Matthew said.

Alfred turned to Matthew with a look of shock.

"What?!" he shouted. "Who? When?"

"Fletcher…" Matthew said. "I-I didn't want to tell you, because I knew that you'd react like this."

Alfred's eyes narrowed, and Lars grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Calm down," Lars said. "Getting worked up isn't going to help. We'll demand answers as soon as those demons or vampires come."

"What makes you think that they'll give us answers?" Gupta asked.

"They like to taunt," Vash said.

"Bad guys usually do that," Alfred added.

…

Lovino stared at Ivan with wide eyes.

"Y-you're lying," Lovino said.

"But you are," Ivan said. "Such a damaged soul."

Lovino's eyes narrowed.

"You planned for them to take me, didn't you?" Lovino said, glancing towards Antonio and Francis.

"Oh, I had nothing to do with your initial capture," Ivan said. "You were lured away by another demon that wanted to hurt your angel grandpa. Strange. It seems you have no other use than to be used against people."

"Bastard," Lovino spat.

"But Antonio and Francis, along with their third friend, helped me a lot," Ivan said. "They made it so that you would hurt Vlad."

Lovino's eyes widened, remembering all of the conversations he'd had with Vlad over the subject of heartwings. How Vlad had said that Ivan had cursed him, so that his heartwing would reject him and so that he would make the final shift into a demon. How Lovino was convinced that he wouldn't be a heartwing. No one would want him.

How many times did he hurt Vlad by saying something like that? Was that why Vlad had kept quiet? Because he knew that Lovino would have rejected him?

Would he?

"Of course," Ivan said, snapping Lovino out of his thoughts, "Vlad probably didn't even _want_ you as a heartwing. That was probably why he didn't tell you."

"No," Lovino said firmly. "He didn't tell me because of the curse."

"So, you know of that?"

"Si. Where Vlad's heartwing would reject him. He told me all about it. He didn't tell me that I'm his heartwing because he kept remembering the curse. He doesn't want to become a demon."

Ivan's eyes narrowed, and the smile completely disappeared. Lovino swallowed nervously, worried about what this might mean.

"Antonio, Francis," Ivan said. "Dinner time."

Lovino's eyes widened when the two vampires closed in on him.

…

Kasem was struggling against Raj, who looked as though he was having trouble keeping the vampire in place. Kasem knew that there was no way he could transport himself out of there while being wrapped by Raj, unless he wanted to take the naga with him.

The other occupants of the house arrived, and Kasem focused particularly on the Nephilim. But his attention was completely drawn away when he saw Vlad.

Vlad looked at the vampire coldly.

"Let's start out _very_ simple," Vlad said. "Where exactly did Ivan go?"

Kasem smirked.

"Why exactly should I tell you?" he asked.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Vlad asked.

"The fallen angel that Lord Ivan wishes to completely corrupt."

"And did Yao ever mention me?"

Kasem's face turned blank for a moment before he shook his head, a frown on his face.

"I see," Vlad said. "So, you haven't gotten over your time in purgatory yet. You're still a little foggy. So why don't I jog your memory."

Vlad touched Kasem by the temple, and the Thai jerked away, but Vlad didn't seem bothered.

"You were once a prince," Vlad said. "Heir to the throne. But Yao took you, didn't he? He sired you."

"So what?" Kasem asked.

"Not long after you were sired, there was a coup," Vlad continued. "Almost everyone in your family was killed. Chances are, you would have been killed as well. Yao saved you, and so you devoted the rest of your existence to him. It went beyond the normal sire loyalty."

Kasem's eyes narrowed.

"How does this concern you?" Kasem demanded.

"You were a child of Yao," Vlad said. "And Yao was _my_ child."

Kasem's eyes widened. He stopped his struggling and looked at Vlad.

"…It's true," Kasem said. "I… He said…"

"I am the sire of your sire," Vlad said. "If it was not for me, Yao wouldn't be a vampire. And if Yao wasn't a vampire, he wouldn't have sired you. And if you weren't sired, you would have been killed. And there would have been no chance of eternity."

Kasem was thoughtful.

"I have sworn loyalty to Yao," Kasem said. "But Lord Ivan demands my loyalty now."

"'Demands'," Vlad repeated. "Too bad he doesn't care about you. Not like Yao did."

"W-what makes you say that?!"

"Ivan cares for no one. Even his sister is nothing more than a soldier to him, and his other sister… You owe Ivan nothing."

"Wrong," Kasem said. "He returned me from purgatory. Where _he_ sent me."

Kasem had his eyes on Fletcher, who was being supported by Jett.

"It's a vicious circle," Vlad said. "He wouldn't have killed you if you hadn't kidnapped one of our Nephilim. It was for bait, wasn't it?"

Kasem flinched and averted his eyes.

"We thought that if we killed you, we could gain great power," Kasem said.

"But I can't be killed," Vlad said. "Except by a handful beings."

Kasem looked up at Vlad.

"I don't know what exactly it is you're asking of me," Kasem said.

"I just want to know whether or not Ivan went to his realm in Hell," Vlad said.

"…Yes."

…

Lovino was lying on the floor in the middle of what he assumed was the throne room. His body felt weak. Drained. There were two puncture wounds on either side of his neck.

All of his memories… they flowed back to him.

Marcello was lying nearby, still unconscious. He was worried about his little brother, and wondering why Ivan didn't simply allow the other two to completely drain him.

"Toris," Ivan called out.

Lovino watched as someone entered, though he had no will to see who it was. It was probably another vampire, or a demon.

Didn't they mention the name Toris before?

"What is it you wish?" Toris asked.

"Take little Lovino here to the Room of Night," Ivan said. "I'm sure he'll be right at home."

Toris glanced over towards Lovino, and Lovino stared at him with dull eyes.

"Understood," Toris said, bowing to Ivan before moving towards Lovino.

 **I wanted Ivan to be the one to tell Lovino that he's Vlad's heartwing. And it was supposed to be when you guys would also be informed, but it took too long to get to that point, so I confirmed it a while back.**

 **And exams are over. I'm free! I'm focusing on getting Enough to ten chapters first, since it's the closest to the checkpoint (eight already completed). Once this story ends, Enough will be published, and I'll also be working on my other stories. I've also updated my list of plot bunnies, if you want to take a look. But I stay by my rule of ten chapters before I start posting, otherwise you wouldn't be able to get weekly updates. There will be a few exceptions to that rule, such as Arcane Mafia, The World Meets Canada and Player 2, Continue. The World Meets Canada needs all the characters to be introduced (and each has their own chapter) and the other two need to be finished before it can be posted. The World Meets Canada is already past the halfway mark, though, so I'll get to it soon.**


	42. Chapter 41

**Thanks to StarCadet, Bob and co, asddf, Elizaveta Hedervary – Hungary, EllaAwkward, Zaaze, ScandinavianTrash, EasterEgg, Olivia Kirkland, PorcelenaRota, Matt-Kuro-Oliver and Adorable Reader for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 41**

When Alice and Nora arrived at the house, they immediately knew that something was wrong.

For one thing, they saw Jack lying at the edge of the perimeter, unconscious. Though there was something _strange_ about his unconsciousness.

"You take care of Jack," Nora instructed. "I'll go check inside."

Alice nodded, approaching Jack. Nora flew towards the house and she quickly went inside.

Nora made her way towards the living room, where a light had been turned on. Her eyes immediately fell on the figure tied up on one of the chairs, trying to undo his bonds. Vlad was pacing, Jett was tending to an injured Fletcher, Heracles had an arm wrapped protectively around Feliciano, who was crying into the fallen angel's chest, Jason and Henri were in one corner, looking worried, Raj was rubbing his sides, Michelle was biting her lip, Feliks looked annoyed…

Yes, something had happened. And the fact that only three Nephilim were around only made her more nervous.

"What happened?" she asked.

Everyone jumped at the sound of her voice, and they all turned to regard her. Vlad sighed, slumping against a wall.

"Ivan launched an attack," Vlad explained.

Her eyes widened, and she understood. The reason why there were only three Nephilim there was because the others were all gone. Captured by Ivan.

And the stranger… He felt like a combination of vampire and demon. He must have been one of Ivan's.

"And why is Fletcher still injured?" Nora asked, looking pointedly at Vlad.

"I'm not in the right state of mind to be able to heal him," Vlad explained.

Nora sighed, before she walked up to Fletcher. He remained still as she opened her mouth, before breathing into his face. Fletcher inhaled her breath. The breath of life.

Already his injuries started to heal, and Nora turned her attention away from him. She looked at the vampire-demon hybrid.

"And what about this thing?" Nora asked.

The creature glared at her, not appreciating being called a 'thing'.

"Ivan has a few of them," Vlad said. "We still don't know much of them. We were hoping that he would give us more answers, but so far all we could get from him was that Ivan is in his domain, instead of some random fortress."

Nora glanced towards Vlad.

"I assume that Ivan took your heartwing?" Nora asked.

Vlad nodded his head, and Nora turned her attention back to the vampire.

"And why is this thing still alive?" Nora asked.

"Shouldn't we avoid killing around Vlad?" Henri asked.

"Ivan has already found him," Nora said. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"They're trying to get me to betray the others," the vampire sneered. "That isn't going to happen."

"And we don't know what his kind is capable of," Vlad said. "Or their weaknesses. _He_ doesn't even know yet. Apparently, their minds are foggy after they're revived, and it takes a while for them to come to their senses. Ivan had waited long enough before he ordered them to attack. They're still new, and fighting as vampires without knowing their full potential."

"It _could_ be a good thing," Raj said. "Except _we_ don't know their weaknesses. And if we try to exploit a vampire weakness and it doesn't work…"

"It might give them that confidence boost," Nora finished. "So… why not settle for trial and error?"

"We don't have the time," Vlad said. "If we did, I'd be more than happy to try anything until I find something that works."

Nora nodded her head.

"And what happened to Jack?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Jett asked.

"Alice and I found Jack outside," Nora said. "He was at the edge of the perimeter, unconscious."

"You don't think…?" Fletcher started.

Just then Alice arrived, carrying Jack in her arms.

"This is bad," Alice said.

"Let me guess," Vlad said. "Jack's the one that let them in."

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. Now, any idea _why_?"

Alice sighed, before depositing Jack on an empty seat.

"Raivis had control of his heartwing," Alice said.

"We know that much," Jett said. "Continue."

"Then don't interrupt me," Alice snapped. "Raivis spoke through his heartwing. If Fletcher didn't do as he said, then he would manipulate the heartwing into committing suicide. And if his influence was severed, he'd use the other two to kill him instead."

Jason and Henri widened their eyes. Feliciano sniffed before he looked towards Alice.

"Did they hurt my fratellino?" Feliciano asked.

"Not as far as I, or rather, Jack could tell," Alice said. "After letting them in, Raivis forced his heartwing to reject him."

The angels and fallen angels of the room flinched, each of them knowing what that would cost. However, Vlad narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Then why hasn't he been turned to stone?" Vlad asked.

"I think it's because he wasn't _actually_ rejected by his heartwing," Heracles said. "It was Raivis speaking through Marcello."

Feliciano whimpered, curling up even tighter against Heracles.

Vlad was looking at Feliciano thoughtfully, and Heracles kept watching Vlad, aware of the other's stare on his heartwing.

"What is it?" Heracles asked.

"Feliciano, could you lift up your shirt?" Vlad asked. "I want to check the seal."

Feliciano pulled back slightly, looking blank for a moment before his eyes widened, and he nodded as he pulled his shirt up. On his chest was a silver 'X'.

Vlad sighed in relief, while the others turned their gazes to Vlad.

"A blood vow?" Alice asked.

"Reassurance," Vlad said. "Should I fail. If I let harm come to Lovino."

"No," Feliciano said, frowning slightly. "You said if you do anything to harm Lovi or Cello, this will turn black."

Vlad stared at him and sighed.

"I guess I should have made it 'let anything happen to them'," Vlad said.

"If that seal turns black, Feliciano gains the power to kill you," Heracles said, before he looked towards Vlad. "Why?"

"It had been to reassure Feliciano, back when we first met. I didn't predict what would happen."

Nora and Alice exchanged a look, which didn't go unnoticed by the others, but they ignored it for now.

"I can't help but notice something," Kasem said, interrupting them. "You're so determined to go save your little pets, but you're not taking any action."

"Only fools rush in where angels fear to tread," Fletcher said. "We're angels, so we're not fools."

Kasem rolled his eyes.

"You're wasting time," Kasem said in a sing-song tone.

Vlad narrowed his eyes.

"You know what Ivan intends to do to them, don't you?" Vlad asked.

"Not really," Kasem said. "I just know that he's going to make the angels turn into demons. Kind of like what he's doing to you."

Vlad growled, his eyes turning a darker shade of red, if only for a brief moment.

"Calm down," Nora said. "Getting angry won't solve anything."

"Easy for you to say," Vlad said. "Ten lives aren't in danger because of _you_."

"There will be more lives at stake if you can't control your anger," Alice said.

"What are you talking about?"

Alice and Nora exchanged a look before they sighed.

"There's something you need to know," Nora said.

"The demons have a prophecy about you," Alice said.

Vlad pursed his lips.

"What does it say?" he asked. "And not verbatim, please. We don't have time to play games."

"An angel of life who has fallen," Nora said. "When he becomes a demon, he would lead the demons to victory."

"His anger is the key," Alice said. "And his heartbreak."

Vlad huffed in annoyance.

"So, they want me because they need me to start another war," Vlad said. "What else is new?"

"You're not upset?" Nora asked.

"I knew that for a long time. But… It contradicts with what Nicolai told me. He said that most demons don't want me to become a demon because the blood of life would become useless. And that my blood would be used for destruction."

"I don't think the demons would mind," Alice said. "I heard that even Lucifer is waiting to see what happens."

"Prophecy aside," Vlad said, "I think they find it more entertaining to see my struggles."

"But if you become a demon, Elizabeta will definitely come to kill you," Jett said, "so worst case scenario…"

"Wait," Vlad said. "I just had a thought."

"Will it help?" Fletcher asked.

"In finding out the hybrids' weaknesses, yes," Vlad said. "After all, Ludwig has one of them. And he's more experienced."

…

Vash had his arm protectively around Lili as all of them listened. They were quiet, in fear of having one of the demons coming, and what they would want. Lili clung tightly to Vash's shirt, being the second youngest of the group.

The youngest was clinging to Bella, and he was trembling viciously. He, like Vash, had seen a demon up close, and had a feeling that whatever they planned to do to them, it would be bad.

They all jumped when they heard footsteps, and some of them even held their breaths as the owner of the footsteps came closer. Alfred bit his lip, while Matthew had to make sure that his brother didn't do anything reckless.

Soon a figure came into view, and they tensed when they saw the other's large frame. The demon smiled at them childishly.

"It's good to see you all awake," the demon said. "Welcome to my home."

"Who the hell are you?!" Alfred snapped.

The demon looked at him with blank eyes, and Alfred instinctively backed up.

"You are the angel of war, da?" the demon said. "I'm sure you will be most useful to me later."

"No way in hell!" Alfred exclaimed.

The demon giggled, and the sound made everyone nervous once again.

"Then it's a good thing you _are_ in hell," the demon said. "You are in my domain."

Matthew swallowed nervously.

"A-are you the W-Winter K-King?" Matthew asked.

Ivan smiled at Matthew.

"Looks like you're a lot smarter than your brother," Ivan said. "You are the guardian angel. Yes… I think I'll start with you."

The Nephilim found that they couldn't move as the cell door was opened. Matthew cried out as he was lifted by an invisible force, before being brought to Ivan.

"Let him go!" Alfred shouted.

Ivan giggled, before he patted Matthew on the head.

"We don't want a guardian angel protecting everyone, do we?" Ivan asked.

Matthew suddenly disappeared, and the Nephilim shouted in alarm.

"Where is he?!" Alfred shouted. "What the fuck did you do to him?!"

"He is alive," Ivan said. "He's just going to be playing with my sister now. He'll come back soon."

The cell door closed behind him and Ivan walked away. When they could move again, none of them did, except to show that all of them were trembling in a combination of fear and anger.

"Bastard," Alfred whispered. "Give me my brother back."

…

Ludwig sighed, sitting in front of what looked like a cloudy chessboard. Miguel was nearby, looking at the board in curiosity, but unwilling to say anything. He didn't want to incur his master's wrath, after all.

Some of the squares on the board were illuminated, and the illuminations were moving around. Ludwig was watching the movements intently.

Ludwig suddenly looked up, his eyes narrowing.

"It would seem we have a guest," Ludwig said. "Welcome, Vlad."

Vlad stepped out from the shadows, and Miguel looked nervously between Vlad and Ludwig.

"Leave us," Ludwig ordered.

"No," Vlad said. "I actually came to speak with The Merchant."

Ludwig glanced towards Miguel, but he didn't make a move.

"It would seem that Ivan has taken a page from your book," Vlad said, first addressing Ludwig before moving his attention to Miguel. "I need to know what your weaknesses are."

Miguel glanced towards Ludwig, who didn't remove his gaze from Vlad at all.

"And why should my servant indulge information such as that?" Ludwig asked.

"Because Ivan has my heartwing," Vlad said. "And I hope you know the lengths I would go to in order to get him back."

Ludwig smirked as he gained an understanding of the situation.

"And now you're demanding the weakness of my servant because Ivan has similar servants," Ludwig said. "But what will the two of _us_ get out of it?"

"I seem to recall you offering a deal to me," Vlad said. "With some alterations, I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"What alterations?"

"I cannot give you the Nephilim," Vlad said. "They had been captured by Ivan as well, and I'm not going to save them just to give them to you. That would be beside the point. And besides, since your original deal involved protecting my heartwing and I from Ivan, I feel it's necessary to skip that part."

Ludwig grumbled and motioned for Vlad to continue.

"I was recently informed of the fact that my blood would lose its potency if I were to become a demon," Vlad said. "So, your demand for my blood would be null and void. We all know that if Ivan succeeds in his latest plan, then my blood would be useless."

"So, that's the angle you're going for?" Ludwig mused. "Indeed, it would be useless. And I have plans regarding your blood. But how much are you willing to give?"

"A bottle for every Nephilim we save, and every minion of Ivan that we defeat. Five for the rescue of my heartwing. That would mean that between my heartwing and the Nephilim you'll have fourteen bottles of my blood."

Miguel's eyes widened, and Ludwig eagerly leaned forward.

"What else?" Ludwig asked.

Vlad turned to Miguel.

"I recall you wanting my blood in order to elevate yourself to a higher status," Vlad said. "If we succeed, I will grant it to you."

Miguel's eyes widened again, and Ludwig growled.

"Are you intending to take away my servant?" Ludwig demanded.

"If he's going to serve you, he needs to get something out of it," Vlad said. "And besides, he would be more effective, wouldn't he?"

Ludwig was seething, but said nothing. He knew that Vlad was right. He just had no intention of admitting to it.

"And what is your plan of action?" Ludwig asked.

"Get in, get my heartwing away from Ivan, and hopefully put an end to it once and for all."

"You have ambitions, but I don't see much of a plan."

"I've learned that plans don't always work. An idea about what you want works better. It's easier to adapt then. And it makes you more patient."

Ludwig grinned.

"Which would explain how someone like Ivan had managed to accomplish so much," Ludwig said.

…

Matthew's eyes widened. He was suspended in the air, and he was staring at a female demon with steely blue eyes. He remembered her as the same demon that had fought against Vlad.

She was grinning as she licked her lips. Matthew felt his heart stop in fear.

"Little guardian angel," she said. "If you can't protect yourself, how would you be able to protect your little friends?"

Matthew felt a burning sensation on his cheek, followed by another on his stomach, and another on his back. Each felt worse than the last. And so it continued.

After the fifth was when Matthew started to scream.

…

Fletcher whimpered, and everyone's attention was drawn to him. His eyes were shifting around, and he was hugging himself.

It was only Kasem and the Nephilim that didn't recognise what was going on. Fletcher's heartwing was in danger.

And the worst part was that Fletcher couldn't save him. Not yet.

They looked up when another presence entered the room, looking alarmed.

"Hans!" Alexandru shouted. "What happened? I can't…"

"Hans has been captured with the other Nephilim," Raj said. "Except for Feliciano, Henri and Jason."

Alexandru's eyes widened, and he let out a whimper.

"No."

"Vlad's totally working on something that would get him back," Feliks said. "Like, we won't let him get away with it. After everything he's done to Vlad, he _won't_ get away with it."

Alexandru's face hardened.

"Then I will help in any way I can," he said. "In fact…"

…

Marcello awoke, feeling a little disoriented. He wondered where Jack was.

A scream brought him back to reality, and he sat up in an effort to investigate, only to stop when he realised that he didn't recognise the room.

He knew that scream. It was Matthew's.

He threw the covers away and stepped out of the bed, but the moment he did he suddenly felt intense cold. It was cold enough to burn. He immediately went back to the bed and under the covers.

"You're not going anywhere," a familiar voice said.

Marcello looked around, until he saw the demon that had enchanted him. Raivis.

All of the memories came flooding back, and he whimpered.

"W-what are you going to do to me?" Marcello asked.

" _I'm_ not going to do anything," Raivis said. "But your presence is required for our main target."

Marcello heard another scream, and he whimpered. It was a different scream.

"Lovi…"

…

Vlad returned back to Feliks's home, a plan already forming in his head. He had managed to work a deal out with Ludwig and Miguel, and had learned the best ways to defeat the vampire-demon hybrids.

When he reached the living room he paused, seeing faces that weren't there when he had left earlier. Alexandru ran up to him and hugged him around the waist.

"I got us some help, big brother," Alexandru said. "We're going to get our heartwings back."

Vlad looked around. Asides from Alice, Nora, Heracles, Feliciano, Henri, Jason, Fletcher, Jett, Raj, Michelle and Feliks, they had Elizabeta, Roderich, Dimitri, Samuel, Clara and Katyusha. All of them looked determined, and Vlad smiled.

"Thank you, everyone," he said. "We're going to get them back. You can count on it. And if we fail…"

There, he turned to Elizabeta and sighed. She lowered her head slightly without breaking eye-contact.

"You know what to do."

 **Next chapter will focus on Lovino.**


	43. Chapter 42

**Thanks to Time Turner, BTT, Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, ScandinavianTrash, EllaAwkward, CosmicDucks and Adorable Reader for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 42**

Lovino groaned, opening his eyes. Not that it made much of a difference. Why was it so dark?

He tried to remember what had happened before he had gone asleep, but found that it was impossible.

Where _was_ he?

"Lovino."

He turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw his grandfather.

"Nonno?" Lovino asked, standing up.

When he tried to step closer, he was suddenly forced to stop as Romulus spoke.

"You're a disgrace," Romulus said. "You fail at everything you do. Why can't you be more like your brothers?"

"W-why would you…?" Lovino whispered.

"I was glad when those vampires took you. At least they saved me the trouble of getting rid of you myself."

Lovino took a step back. It felt as though he was slapped in the face. How could his grandfather say something like that to him?

"Fratello."

Lovino turned around, seeing Feliciano looking at him hatefully.

"F-Feli…" Lovino whispered.

"You're disgusting," Feliciano said. "Allowing yourself to be used by those three vampires. You must have really enjoyed being their whore."

"No," he said. "I didn't want it. Sh-shut up!"

"Fratellone."

Lovino whipped his head around, and this time he saw Marcello. His eyes widened when he saw the blank stare, along with the trails of blood on either side of his neck.

"It's your fault," Marcello said. "It's because of you that they got me. It's because of you that they killed me."

"No!" Lovino shouted, pulling at his hair. This was a dream. A nightmare. Where was Vlad? Why didn't he chase the nightmare away?

You _, Lovino, are Vlad's heartwing._

Lovino gasped as that memory returned to him. Yes, he was Vlad's heartwing. He was the most precious thing to Vlad.

"As if."

Lovino turned around, and there was Matthew.

"You don't know what it's like to be someone's heartwing," Matthew said. "And besides, you wouldn't appreciate it. Vlad knows he's better off without you."

"Shut up!" Lovino shouted.

"Slut."

Lovino didn't need to turn around to know that the voice belonged to Alfred.

"You let those vampires have their way with you," Alfred said. "Why would Vlad want someone like _you_?"

Lovino pressed his hands to his ears, closing his eyes. He didn't want to see them. He didn't want to hear them.

"You're poison to everyone you meet."

In spite of his best efforts, he could still hear Jason's voice, echoing in his head.

"Take a look at me. How much do you think you've influenced me?"

Lovino gasped. He remembered how Jason was as a child. How he was sweet and kind. But the kid had made the mistake of looking up to Lovino. Now he put on a tough guy act, just like how Lovino would do before he was captured, and one shouldn't forget about the swearing. It was also because of Lovino's influence.

Jason would have probably looked up to his brothers. He could have been more like Matthew or – god forbid – Alfred. Instead, he had followed in Lovino's footsteps.

"Everything is your fault."

His eyes snapped open when he heard that voice. He slowly turned around to see two people that he hadn't seen in years.

"Mama," he whispered. "Papa."

His parents looked on at him in disgust.

"You're a failure," his father said.

"You're worthless," his mother added.

"A slut to vampires."

"And even sleeping in the same bed as one."

"Vlad isn't a vampire," Lovino snapped. "He never was."

For a moment his parents looked taken aback, before their faces twisted in hatred.

"He will throw you away as well," his father said.

"Which is why he's never said anything about it to you," his mother said.

"He doesn't want you."

"Why would he want someone as pathetic as you?"

Lovino paused. Why _would_ Vlad want someone like him?

"I don't."

Lovino's eyes widened, and he turned to see Vlad, looking at him in disgust.

"You're tainted," Vlad said. "I would rather become Ivan's slave than have you as a heartwing. I never want to see you again."

This time Lovino's eyes narrowed.

"You're not Vlad," Lovino said. "Vlad would _never_ say such things."

"How would you know?" 'Vlad' asked.

"Because I've been inside his mind, dumbass. And he's the one that told me that anyone would be lucky to be my heartwing. He also wouldn't say something like that because he's been waiting for me for thousands of years."

As though his words were the key, he suddenly found himself alone. The visions of Vlad, his family members and his childhood friends had disappeared.

Lovino shook his head. What was he doing? He had a feeling that he had just said something, but he couldn't remember what it was, or who he said it to.

He whipped around when he heard a scream, and his eyes widened when he saw a familiar child. He was only about five years old. And he was dead.

"Vas," Lovino whispered.

Around the corpse of Vlad's son, more corpses started to appear. Some of them Lovino could vaguely recognise, some were complete strangers. However, the last twelve that appeared made Lovino backtrack.

The other Nephilim, including Marcello and Feliciano.

"No," Lovino whispered.

"This is what happens when you get close to Vlad," a vaguely familiar voice whispered. "Vlad is responsible for each of their deaths. And if you choose to stay with him, then you will die as well. That is the fate of everyone who's ever befriended him."

"You're wrong," Lovino whispered. "Not everyone has died. Raj, Feliks and Michelle are still alive."

"They're immortal."

"Feliks is. The others aren't really. That's what we've been told. And Michelle and Raj are still alive. In fact…" Lovino looked towards the other Nephilim. "They aren't dead either. And I know that Vlad won't let me die. And if he can't stop it… Then I'll die knowing that he tried his best."

The corpses disappeared, and Lovino blinked in confusion. He had been doing something, but what was it?

He squinted. He could see something in the distance, despite the darkness. Having nothing better to do, he went towards it.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally saw a door. Feeling that something important was on the other side, but also getting the feeling that there was something bad, Lovino approached with caution, before opening the door.

He found himself back in the church, where he had first met Vlad. And there was Vlad's coffin. But… something felt wrong.

He looked down at his arms, and found them to be covered in bruises and bitemarks, and being bone thin. He could feel the fear. He needed to hide, before the three would find him.

He heard the sound of something moving, and knew that it was the coffin's lid. He took a step back, before colliding with the closed door, and slid to the ground.

From the coffin came a vampire with strawberry blond hair and red eyes, and Lovino whimpered. A part of him thought that he should recognise the vampire, but he just couldn't figure out from where.

The vampire leered at him hungrily, and Lovino couldn't help but think that this situation was wrong. That this wasn't how it's supposed to go.

"Well what do you know?" the vampire said. "After sleeping for twenty years, I wake up with breakfast in bed."

Something about that statement made something click inside him, and for the first time Lovino realised that the vampire was Vlad. Fear forgotten, he glared.

"You're not Vlad," Lovino said.

The vampire faltered, and his face turned to one of surprise.

"What?" the vampire asked.

"You're not Vlad," Lovino said. "Vlad isn't a vampire. He has no thirst for human blood. And he didn't look like that when he woke up. He was… curious. And… Of course! He must have realised who I was the moment he saw me."

The scene dissolved, and Lovino blinked in confusion. He had the faintest idea that something had happened. That something _kept_ happening. But he had no idea what it might be.

He heard laughter from behind him and turned around. He was caught in a familiar scene. It was his family, laughing in the kitchen. He looked at himself. He looked… happy.

"Hurry up now," Romulus said. "Or you'll be late for school."

"Do we have to go?" Feliciano whined.

"Of course you do," Romulus said. "So, any plans for the weekend?"

"We're going over to Jason and his brothers," Marcello said. "Is that okay?"

"Sure it is. You're young. But remember to get a girlfriend sometime."

Lovino watched this scene with longing. Everything felt so… normal. It was as though the Outbreak had never happened. Vampires still lived in shadows. Or maybe they didn't exist at all.

"This is what could have been," a voice whispered. "If vampires didn't exist. Wouldn't it be nice?"

"S-si…" Lovino muttered.

"And the one responsible for the vampire race is…"

The scenery shifted, and Lovino widened his eyes when he saw a familiar face, gazing down at someone on his knees.

"Vlad…" Lovino whispered.

"This is the human that he had turned into the very first vampire," the voice whispered. "If this human didn't exist… And if Vlad didn't exist…"

Lovino scowled.

"Don't try to blame Vlad," he said. "He was tricked. If anyone should be blamed for the existence of those fucking leeches, it's the asshole that's been torturing Vlad. In fact…" Lovino's eyes widened at the realisation. "That bastard's the reason why everything happened to me! He didn't just ruin Vlad's life. He ruined mine too! I hate him!"

The illusion shattered. Lovino was panting, whispers of images gnawing at the back of his mind. They were like the memories of a dream. No – a _nightmare_.

As soon as that thought reached his mind he saw a glowing white serpent. He instinctively began to run, but the serpent was much faster, coiling around him.

Lovino screamed in pain. He didn't know if the serpent reminded him of fire or ice. He couldn't make out whether the pain he was feeling came from heat or cold. All he knew was that it _hurt_.

"You're a stubborn little boy," a harsh voice said. "Succumb already! No one will save you. No one cares for you. Your life would have been much better without Vlad!"

Lovino opened his mouth, ready to voice his protests, but no sound could escape.

'No!' he thought. 'That bastard! Please, save me Vlad! I need you. VLAD!'

He suddenly found himself in a classroom. He looked around him, seeing Feliciano to his right. He could also see Matthew and Alfred. And he could see all of his old classmates, which he hadn't seen in months.

He looked down at the desk, seeing an exam paper. He absentmindedly started to answer it.

 _Who is responsible for the birth of vampires?_

He frowned at the question, before looking at the others.

 _What happened to Vlad's child?_

 _How many vampires did Vlad sire?_

 _How many secrets did he keep from you?_

 _Why should he accept you?_

 _Why should you accept him?_

Lovino recognised these, and he started to realise that he had been hearing several things. Similar things. It was as though his mind intended to torment him.

No. Someone was _using_ his mind to torment him.

But Lovino wouldn't play their game. He smirked, before he started to write the answers.

 _The Winter Bastard, also known as 'Ivan' (dumb name)._

 _Vas was murdered by the asshole that wouldn't leave him alone._

 _Vlad sired seven, in order to help out their people. Only one came through, and that was enough for Vlad._

 _He's kept a few, but all of them were for my own protection._

With the last two he paused. He knew what was being asked. Why should Vlad accept him as his heartwing? And why should he accept Vlad? He answered as truthfully as he could.

 _I don't know. Maybe because fate or whatever crap brought us together. But I know that he WOULD accept me, no matter what._

 _Vlad's an amazing person. He puts my needs ahead of his own. He didn't care that I was hurting him when I said that there's no way I'd be someone's heartwing. He was working hard on reassuring me. He wanted ME to be happy. And he's damn cute when he's happy. When he went into the sunlight for the first time, he looked like a puppy playing in the snow. He's done everything he could to help me and the others. He would risk himself again and again for me. He would let himself be stabbed if it means protecting us. And he took all of that shit from everyone. He let me sleep with him, in order to keep my nightmares away. He didn't tell anyone about the crap I've been through. He didn't laugh at me for being weak. He knows what it feels like. He saved my life. And I know that it's my fault for not seeing it. I…_

He stopped, his eyes widening as he came to a sudden realisation.

The image around him shattered, and he found himself in a white space. All of the events from before played out before him once again, and he found himself trembling, _knowing_ that someone had been messing with his mind.

"Lovino."

"Dammit!" Lovino shouted, looking towards the speaker before standing. "I've had enough of this mindfuck! I know you're not Vlad, so stay out of my head!"

'Vlad' smiled.

"You're right," he said. "I'm not Vlad. But… I'm not one of Ivan's, either. You and Vlad have a strong connection. And he's been in your mind so many times… I'm a manifestation of Vlad's subconscious influence on you. Think of it this way: If your nightmares were monsters, then I was the one fighting them while you slept."

Lovino paused. It was true that he could sense something similar to Vlad's presence, which was a lot different from the previous illusions.

"What the hell is happening here?" Lovino asked.

"Ivan has a room in his castle," 'Vlad' said. "He calls it the 'Room of Night'. It was a name he gave it to divert his prisoners' attention. It's really the Room of Night _mares_."

Lovino's eyes widened as he gasped.

"Yes," 'Vlad' said. "Ivan uses this room as a means to mentally torture his opponents. He intended to use this room to turn you against Vlad, but…" 'Vlad' smiled. "You're too stubborn, aren't you?"

"So… what happens now?" Lovino asked.

"This won't last forever. Already, I can feel the nightmares trying to overwhelm us. They're like sharks, and they've scented your blood."

"Shouldn't you have said 'vampires'?"

"Vampires, sharks. What's the difference?"

Lovino shrugged, before he averted his gaze.

"Still…" Lovino said. "I… I get why Vlad didn't tell me. He was afraid that I would reject him. But… That's selfish, don't you think?"

"Not at all," 'Vlad' said. "The moment a fallen angel becomes a demon, they temporarily lose all sense of reason. They become mindless animals trapped in an inescapable fury that would lash out at everything close to them. If Vlad had told you, and you had rejected him, then when he became a demon, _you_ would have been the first thing he attacked. And he knew that if he _did_ become a demon, you'd only get hurt in the process."

Lovino gasped, listening to the hallucination of Vlad's explanation. Vlad really _did_ keep secrets in order to protect him.

But he also kept them to protect his own heart.

"And he actually _did_ tell you," 'Vlad' continued. "He did it in a dream. You can't remember it because the siren's march interfered."

Lovino's jaw dropped. Vlad _had_ asked him about the dream he was having before he had been captured. And he had spoken the truth – he _didn't_ remember the dream.

"I could show it to you, if you like," 'Vlad' said.

Lovino glanced towards 'Vlad', and the hallucination smiled. The scenery shifted, and he found himself in the clearing near the house, without the house. And in the middle of it all was Vlad and himself.

" _Don't you wish that every day would be like this?" Vlad asked._

" _I guess so," Lovino said._

" _I do. There's no pain. No heartache. No Winter."_

" _No vampires…" Lovino muttered._

" _Exactly. Hey, Lovino, could I ask you something?"_

" _Hmm?"_

" _If I were to tell you that you're my heartwing, what would you say?"_

" _I'd say you're full of shit," Lovino said. "There's no way that they'd make_ me _your heartwing. You deserve better."_

 _Lovino's eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly found himself on his back, Vlad looming over him._

" _Don't you ever think that," Vlad said. "If there's anyone here that deserves better, it's_ you _. I would descend into hell for you. I would sacrifice_ everything _for you. You're more than just my heartwing. You're my heart and soul."_

 _Lovino stared at Vlad with wide eyes before he turned his head to the side._

" _You don't mean that," Lovino said. "I don't want you to be stuck with_ me _forever."_

 _Vlad's fingers gently grabbed Lovino's chin, and his face was tilted to look at Vlad. Vlad didn't speak, but placed a gentle kiss on his lips._

Lovino had been watching the scene in rapt fascination. When it came to the kiss, he felt his face heat up.

"What the…?" he exclaimed.

'Vlad' smiled, before he frowned.

"Time's up," he said.

Lovino looked over towards him and let out a yelp when the scenery shifted. 'Vlad' disappeared, and he suddenly found himself sitting on a loveseat, his arm draped around the shoulders of a very pretty girl, who was snuggled up to him.

"You could have had someone like this for a girlfriend," the voice whispered. "Had it not been for Vlad."

Lovino frowned, before he removed his arm and stood. He could feel the girl clutching his shirt.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Fuck off," he said. "I know that you're just another hallucination."

"Well… Don't you want to indulge, at the very least? You can't call _this_ a nightmare."

"No thanks."

"Give me one reason why."

He turned to her, a smirk on his face.

"Because I… I'm in love with Vlad."

 **This chapter was** _ **incredibly**_ **difficult to write. I started wondering if I would even get to finish it. Luckily, I did.**


	44. Chapter 43

**Thanks to ScandinavianTrash, Zaaze, Olivia Kirkland, BTT, Atzuyi, EllaAwkward and Adorable Reader for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 43**

The group was silent for a moment. Vlad had explained that the greatest weakness of the vampire-demon hybrids was a spirit or a soul. Since they were created from consciousness, spirit was something that they lacked. And to be attacked by something made from or containing spirit would certainly set them back.

And the only one with the power to kill them was their master.

"The only thing I can think of would be the spirit weapons," Elizabeta said.

"I recently taught that technique to the Nephilim," Jett said.

Feliks cleared his throat.

"Like, are you forgetting something?" he asked.

Jett sighed.

"You only laid the groundwork," Jett said.

"Like, I totally had more success than you!" Feliks countered.

"Enough!" Elizabeta said. "We don't have time for this nonsense!"

"I hate to agree with her, but she's right," Vlad said. "We _don't_ have time for this."

"But," Henri said, "I've been using my spirit weapon against them. It hurt them, but not enough to be considered a weakness."

"Are you sure?" Fletcher asked.

"There's only one way to make sure," Elizabeta said, before walking over to Kasem.

The vampire kept his eyes on her, and when she revealed a dagger, he focused his attention on that. Elizabeta smiled, before slicing him on the cheek.

Kasem hissed, and they saw the wound instantly seal itself. Then, Elizabeta conjured a different dagger, before slicing his other cheek. This time he cried out in pain, and it took a lot longer for the wound to seal itself.

"It's not as effective as holy objects," Elizabeta said. "But it will do its job. If we slice and dice enough, they'll retreat in favour of recovering."

"That's at least a start," Vlad said, before he turned to the Nephilim. "It's going to be dangerous. You're welcome to stay, if you want."

To everyone's surprise, the three Nephilim shook their heads.

"Our brothers are there," Jason said. "There's no way we're just going to sit around while you go risk your lives."

"Not _all_ of us would be 'risking our lives'," Elizabeta said, looking pointedly at Vlad.

"But we can't just stay on the side lines on this one," Henri said.

"We've done all that training," Jason said. "So let us fight."

"Not all of that was _combat_ training, though," Vlad muttered, before he sighed. "Heracles, I'm sure you'll keep Feliciano safe?"

"Of course," Heracles said, pulling Feliciano closer.

"Jett, Fletcher, will you keep protecting Henri and Jason?"

The two brothers nodded their heads, before they glanced towards their younger brother.

"Michelle, you'll stay behind," Vlad said. "You can't really fight outside of the sea."

Michelle smiled sadly.

"Once again, I'm useless to help," she said.

"You can keep an eye on Jack and this guy," Vlad said, inclining his chin towards Kasem.

"I feel a little insulted," Kasem said deadpan.

"Feel free to eat him if he becomes troublesome," Vlad added.

"What?!"

"It won't be too tasty, but I'm sure I can manage," Michelle said, looking darkly towards Kasem. "Besides, I haven't had a proper meal in a while."

Kasem shrank back, and Michelle moved her attention away, as though bored.

"Then I suppose that's that," Vlad said. "Don't engage in any fights unless they're unavoidable. Search for the Nephilim. And _try_ not to split up."

"You'll be looking for Lovino, won't you?" Nora said. "And Ivan would most likely keep him close by."

"I'm aware of that," Vlad said.

"You shouldn't go alone," Alice said.

"Oh, he won't," Elizabeta said. " _I'll_ be keeping an eye on him, should worse come to worst."

"Like, I'll be coming with Vlad too," Feliks said. "Ivan like can't stand the heat, you know?"

"Fine then," Vlad said.

"Will we be able to sense the Nephilim?" Dimitri asked.

"You _should_. They've advanced quite a bit. So, are there any other questions, or can we leave?"

"One thing," Feliciano said, raising his hand. "How are we getting there?"

Vlad sighed, before he turned around. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, holding out his palm. A dark red light started to emanate from his hand, and after a while a door appeared. Vlad turned back to the Nephilim, who were staring at it at awe. The angels and Heracles, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel uneasy by the hellgate that appeared before them.

"Everyone should be careful," Vlad said.

"No need to tell _me_ twice," Klara said.

Vlad turned back to the door, before suddenly turning back to the group, eyes trained on Raj.

"I forgot about it," Vlad said, "but you would need to stay here as well. It's cold in Ivan's domain."

"Cold enough to inhibit my movement?" Raj asked.

"Cold enough to inhibit your consciousness."

Raj nodded his head in understanding, before he sat down on the nearest seat. Vlad sighed.

"I think that's everything," Vlad said. "So, let's go."

…

Ivan giggled, sensing that there were guests at the frontiers of his domain. He called for Toris to come, and the other wasn't long in arriving. He bowed respectfully at Ivan.

"Come bring little Lovino to me," Ivan said. "The room should have done its job by now."

Toris nodded his head, before he left to do as told. Ivan was giddy with anticipation. Finally, at long last, he would let Vlad completely fall and become a demon.

…

The Nephilim were wary of Alfred, who was extremely worried for his brother. And the fact that he didn't know what happened to his _other_ brother made him even _more_ of a nervous wreck. Lars and Bella could understand, since they didn't know what happened to Henri. Vash kept Lili close, afraid that something might happen to her.

They all looked up when the air around them seemed to ripple, and a moment later a figure dropped into their midst. Alfred's eyes widened, and he was immediately at his brother's side.

"Mattie!" Alfred shouted. "Mattie, are you okay?"

Matthew whimpered, before curling up into a ball. Alfred pulled him into a hug, and Matthew cried out in pain.

"What happened?" Alfred asked.

"Let me see," Gupta said, moving closer.

Gupta held out his hand, and a ball of light was formed. The others stared in awe as he approached Matthew, allowing his face to be revealed. Only for the awe to turn into shock as they saw that Matthew was covered in many shallow cuts.

"What the hell?" Alfred whispered. "Mattie, what did they do to you?"

Matthew remained unresponsive, only whimpering in pain.

"I don't think he can hear us," Gupta said. "I imagine the pain is immense."

"But the cuts are shallow," Vash said. "Would it really be that bad?"

"They may not have cut deep, but there are many of them. Ever had a papercut before? They look to be that thin."

Everyone winced, an obvious sign that they were familiar with that type of pain.

"Why would they do this?" Alfred asked.

"I think it's an attempt to dishearten us," Gupta said. "After all, if the guardian angel couldn't protect himself, what chance do the rest of us have?"

Alfred clenched his fist, seeing the hazy eyes of his brother.

"Bastards," Alfred muttered.

"Getting angry won't solve anything," Vash said.

"Don't you dare try to lecture me!" Alfred shouted. "Your sister isn't the one that got hurt!"

Vash sighed.

"I think the demons _want_ you to get angry, just like they want us to lose hope," Vash explained. "I… Before I joined you guys, I was closer to a demon than an angel, just because of the things that other vampire had said. He worked for a demon, so…"

"Why hasn't anyone told us about that?" Lars asked harshly.

"Um… Well…"

"Was Vlad the one that recommended that you keep quiet about it?" Bella asked.

Vash bit his lip and nodded his head.

"Then I can only imagine that it was for all of our sakes," Bella said. She turned to her brother. "Please, don't be mad at him."

Lars grumbled but backed down. Alfred glared at the bars of their cell.

"If only I could break them…" he said.

They had learned early on that their abilities were useless in their prison, and that all of their training had been rendered useless. So now, their only hope was that someone from the outside would come and save them.

Alfred, Vash and Lars in particular didn't like that idea much.

…

"So, this is Hell?" Jason asked. "Somehow, I imagined it to be…"

"Fiery pits of doom with rivers of lava thrown into the mix?" Vlad suggested.

"Well… Kind of."

"The Fire King has his home like that."

Jason chuckled wryly.

"I'm serious," Vlad said.

Jason's smile disappeared, and they looked ahead of them.

In front of them was a kingdom of ice and snow, with a palace of ice in the distance. Behind them and where they were currently standing was a bleak wasteland. Ivan made it _pretty_ clear where the boundaries for his territory were.

"What about all the tortured souls?" Feliciano asked.

"Hell is just the home for demons," Heracles said. "Just like how Heaven is for angels. Human souls are not sent here. Unless they're really, _really_ unlucky."

"I needn't tell you to be careful," Vlad said. "I'm sure you can feel the toxicity in the air."

"Indeed," Alice said. "It makes the human world look welcoming."

"We should probably go now," Henri said. "They… they wouldn't have had time to do anything to them, right? I mean, we didn't take _that_ long."

"It doesn't matter," Vlad said. "While in Hell, demons can manipulate one's perception of time, making a second seem like a lifetime. And they make full use of that second."

The three Nephilim gulped nervously, and Vlad took the first step into the icy domain.

…

Lovino found himself lying on the floor in a dark room. He saw a figure walking closer, and this time he knew that it wasn't a dream.

"Come with me," Toris said, before picking Lovino up by the arm.

Lovino could barely move, and so Toris had to drag him out of the room and towards Ivan's location. And through it all, Lovino couldn't help replaying all of the images that had flooded his mind. After he had confessed to himself and the room that he was in love with Vlad, the nightmares had only gotten worse.

They passed someone on the way, and Lovino's eyes widened when he saw him. Antonio threw a smirk his way, and some of the visions that Lovino had seen came back with a vengeance.

He had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

He was dragged into the throne room, and Toris pretty much dropped him in the middle. Ivan didn't seem to mind, and was slowly walking towards him.

"Did you enjoy your time in the Room of Night?" Ivan asked.

Lovino didn't answer, and pointedly looked away from him. Ivan chuckled in amusement.

"So, would you like to tell me how you feel about little Vlad?" Ivan asked.

Lovino scowled.

"Why the hell should I tell _you_?" Lovino snarled.

Ivan smiled, and Lovino shuddered at its iciness.

"Because I'm curious," Ivan said.

Lovino knew that what Ivan wanted was for him to say that he hated Vlad. Something that he would never willingly say. Then again, he wasn't one to willingly say that he loved someone either.

If he said that he hated Vlad, then he would be lying to himself and it would feel as though he hurt Vlad. But if he admitted the truth… what then? What would the demon do to him if the answer he wanted was not the answer Lovino gave?

So he thought that it would be safer to give an ambiguous answer instead.

"The person responsible for the bastards that ruined my life," Lovino said. "How do you _think_ I feel about him?"

Ivan smiled, as though pleased. He turned back towards his throne.

"Come, sit with me," Ivan said. "And we'll wait for little Vlad."

Lovino felt his heart flutter. Was Vlad… on his way? He knew that Vlad would come rescue him, but for the demon to mention it so casually…

Lovino placed a scowl on his face, trying to pretend as though the news didn't thrill him. He needed to make Ivan think that he hated Vlad, if only for a little longer.

This time, he would need to be patient. This time, he would wait for the right time.

If he didn't, he knew that all would be lost.

…

Antonio entered the room where they were staying, a smirk on his face. Seeing Lovino had certainly cheered him up, along with the orders he was about to deliver to the others.

"Amigos, we have company," Antonio said. "Master wants us to keep them busy. The only one allowed to go through is Vlad."

The others all grinned at the news.

"This is going to be fun," Yong Soo said.

…

They had entered the castle without any difficulties, which of course set off a few alarms for the group.

"There's something coming," Feliciano said, clinging to Heracles.

"Considering we're in enemy territory, I'd be surprised if someone _doesn't_ come," Elizabeta said.

They paused when they heard footsteps approaching, and soon they could see the hybrids. They were grinning darkly at the group. The angels and fallen angels could easily see that they were preparing to leap at the first opportunity that someone attempted to run past them.

"Look who we have here," Antonio said. "And I see you've brought some… friends."

Antonio and Francis leered at Feliciano, and the Nephilim hid behind his heartwing.

"And there we have the third brother," Francis said. "I wonder if he tastes as delicious as the other two."

Feliciano's eyes widened, and Heracles glared at the vampires. Vlad shot him a look.

"Control your temper," Vlad said. "This is Hell, remember? Angels tend to suffer. _Fallen_ angels stand a chance to be corrupted by the atmosphere."

Alistair chuckled.

"Looks like _we're_ the ones with the advantage this time," the Scotsman said.

"That doesn't matter," Elizabeta said. "After all, you had the advantage last time as well, and we _still_ managed to kill you."

The vampires snarled, and Elizabeta smirked, pleased that she had managed to get under their skins.

"You're not going past this point," Emil said coldly.

Fletcher narrowed his eyes.

"Wrong," Fletcher said. "You're willing to allow Vlad to pass. That's what you're supposed to be doing."

William narrowed his eyes.

"Telepaths can be quite annoying, wouldn't you say?" William said.

"It's a trap," Feliks said, glancing towards Vlad.

"I know," Vlad said. "Do what you can."

Vlad summoned his wings and took flight, getting past the vampires. They allowed it to happen, of course. But the moment the rest of them attempted to move, the vampires were ready, summoning their own shadowy wings. And the angels, Nephilim and fallen angel summoned their own wings, along with their weapons.

Fletcher shifted his attention to the side, sensing that Matthew was in distress. Alexandru had his attention in that direction as well. The two of them knew what it meant. Their heartwings were in that direction.

The angels currently had the vampires outnumbered, and no one had made a move in their directions yet, but that could change at any moment.

Fletcher turned his attention to Jason, who was waiting in anticipation, waiting for someone to attack him.

"Jason," Fletcher whispered, "come with me."

Jason turned to him with a confused expression, and Fletcher nudged his head to the side.

"Matthew's this way," Fletcher said.

Jason widened his eyes, and he nodded. Fletcher turned to Jett, who was searching for a good opponent.

"Jett, cover us," Fletcher said.

Jett turned to him and nodded, and Fletcher and Jason took off. They heard a roar from behind them but didn't do anything. They were counting on the others to cover them. Only when they were a distance away did they realise that they were followed.

Fletcher turned to Henri and Alexandru.

"You're not fighting?" Fletcher asked.

"My brother and sister are this way, aren't they?" Henri said by way of answer.

Fletcher nodded his head.

"Probably," he said. "I can only sense Matthew through our heartwing connection."

"I can sense Hans," Alexandru said. "So we can assume that they're at the same place."

Fletcher nodded.

"Alright then," he said. "Let's keep a lookout. We've seen the vampires. But the Trio are probably around as well."

They all nodded their heads, and continued on their way.

…

Vlad made his way towards Ivan's throne room, sensing Lovino's presence in that direction. He also knew that that was the most obvious choice.

And it was so typical of Ivan.

Vlad paused when he saw Toris, who was standing in front of the door. Toris sighed.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Toris said.

Vlad narrowed his eyes.

"I'm aware," he said.

Toris nodded.

"Good luck," he whispered.

The corner of Vlad's mouth twitched, and he knew that Toris wouldn't do anything unless expressly ordered to do so.

Vlad entered the throne room, and he felt his anger boiling when he saw that Ivan had Lovino next to him. Ivan smiled at him.

"It's nice to see you again, Vlad," Ivan said. "But… I'm not the one you came to see."

Vlad took a step closer, and he was hurt to see that Lovino had a scowl on his face, and it looked as though he was restraining himself. Ivan seemed to notice this as well, for he turned to Lovino with a smile.

"I think he has something to say to you," Ivan said.

Lovino let out a loud exhale through his nose, and he stood up from his seat, before he stalked closer to Vlad.

"You created the vampires," Lovino said. "It's because of you that all that shit's happened to the world. To _me_. And you kept secrets from me. When were you going to tell me that I'm your heartwing?"

Vlad didn't answer. He could sense that Ivan had done something to mess with Lovino's mind, and answering could make things worse.

"You're also the reason why I'm _here_ , in this hellhole," Lovino continued. "If it weren't for you, _none_ of us would have been in this situation. We wouldn't have been captured. My brother wouldn't have had his blood sucked by the same bastards that tortured me, _raped_ me. And _none_ of that would have happened if it wasn't for you."

Lovino was standing in front of Vlad now, and Vlad was preparing himself for those dreaded words. The words that would drive the final nails into the coffin.

"I love you."


	45. Chapter 44

**Thanks to ScandinavianTrash, Time Turner, Adelheid, ToolboxHDR, AmazingPrussia, Olivia Kirkland, Zaaze, BTT, Mehloveshorror, Atzuyi, Adorable Reader, EllaAwkward, CosmicDucks, PorcelenaRota and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 44**

"I love you."

Vlad's eyes widened. Those were _not_ the three words that he had been expecting, and instead of dragging him down into the deepest pits of despair, it made his heart soar. Lovino gave him a small smile.

"I bet you didn't expect _that_ , did you?" Lovino said.

Before Vlad could answer, there was a roar of rage. Vlad stared with wide eyes at Ivan. It was rare to see him this angry, that he didn't even bother putting on a mask to hide his emotions. That only made the severity of the situation more obvious. Vlad quickly grabbed Lovino and pushed him behind his back, shielding him from Ivan.

"You were _supposed_ to break his heart," Ivan said. "Shatter his soul. And yet you dare defy me?! You… You lied to me!"

"I didn't," Lovino said. "The person responsible for the bastards that ruined my life… It was _you_. Just like how you ruined Vlad's life."

Vlad could sense that something bad was about to happen. Ivan wouldn't let this one slide. And if he couldn't get Lovino to break his heart, he'd settle for the next best thing.

Killing Lovino.

Before Vlad could do anything, the two of them were separated by an invisible force. Telekinesis. Vlad moved as quickly as possible, only to see Ivan standing over Lovino. Vlad used his own telekinetic ability to throw Ivan away from Lovino before running over to the Italian.

"W-what happened?" Lovino asked.

"Remember back when we first met and Alfred thought he'd open the curtains?" Vlad asked. "I used telekinesis. I don't normally, but…"

Vlad knew that he didn't have a lot of time left. He bit into his wrist, basically tearing the flesh away before he stuffed the wound into Lovino's mouth.

"Drink," Vlad instructed. "The blood of life lingers a lot longer than the others. If Ivan attacks you, you'd be able to heal, even from fatal wounds."

There was a crash that made Vlad flinch, followed by a roar. Vlad turned to see Ivan, and if it was possible, he looked even more enraged than before.

"So, you think your blood can save his life?" Ivan asked. "That may be true. But how about his soul?"

Vlad growled in warning, before he pulled away from Lovino, satisfied that the Italian had drunk enough of his blood.

"Don't you _dare_ touch him," Vlad said.

"I need not touch him," Ivan said. "Simply… break him."

Vlad could feel his blood run cold as he heard Lovino cry out behind him, and he turned to see Lovino almost completely encased in ice.

That moment of distraction was all that it took for Ivan to summon his wings and rush at Vlad, punching him away. Vlad cried out in pain before he hit a nearby pillar, collapsing it on top of him. Ivan then turned to Lovino with a dark smile on his face.

"I'll deal with you later," Ivan said.

There was a roar of rage, and Vlad stood from the rubble, silver blood streaming from his temple.

"Stay away from him!" Vlad roared, before he summoned his own wings.

Ivan's eyes widened, just as Vlad also summoned a sword made from fire. Ivan quickly summoned a sword of ice when Vlad launched himself towards him, but it had sent Ivan into the air.

Ivan glared down at Lovino, a look of hatred on his face.

"This is _your_ fault," Ivan said, before he blocked the next attack from Vlad.

…

Fletcher's group was running along the hallways, hoping to find the missing Nephilim, and hoping to find them safe and sound. But Fletcher couldn't help but feel that something had happened to Matthew.

They stopped when they saw someone standing ahead of them, and Fletcher and Alexandru immediately took defensive positions.

"Eduard," Fletcher snarled. "Get out of our way."

"Why?" Eduard asked nonchalantly. "I'm just standing here. With no intention of doing anything."

Alexandru narrowed his eyes.

"Where are Hans and the others?" he demanded.

"I have no obligation to tell you," Eduard said. "I also have no obligation to stop you."

Fletcher sighed, before he gestured to the others to resume. However, just as they were passing him, Eduard spoke again.

"I can't guarantee that they're in a good place right now," Eduard said. "After all, the best way to make sure a Nephilim becomes a demon is if they're disheartened. And… Natalia played with one of them."

Fletcher felt his heart sink.

"Which one?" he asked.

Eduard shook his head, before suddenly disappearing. All four of them grew nervous.

"I don't like the sound of this," Henri said.

"You're right," Jason said. "Come on. We've got to be close by now."

…

Elizabeta and Feliks had managed to break away from the battle with the vampires and chased after Vlad. They each had a bad feeling about how things would go.

They followed the sounds of battle, Feliks not liking those sounds and Elizabeta instinctively drawn towards them. Rarely had Vlad and Ivan fought, but every time, Vlad was the one that returned worse-off.

They had found the throne room with little difficulty, and they had to pause to survey the situation.

Vlad and Ivan were having an aerial swordfight. Both seemed to be fuelled by rage, which was unusual for both of them. Not even when fighting her did Elizabeta see Vlad in such a state. Her jaw dropped. She was actually impressed by how well he could hold his ground.

Lovino was off to the side, his body almost completely encased in ice. And so the two ran over towards him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to survive the ice for too long.

"What exactly happened here?" Elizabeta asked.

"I-I told Vlad s-something, which set the winter bastard off," Lovino said. "And because he was trying to hurt me, Vlad got really mad."

"I can also imagine what else would have made him mad," Elizabeta remarked, staring at Vlad.

Feliks had opted for wrapping his wings around the frozen Lovino, and his heat started to melt the ice. He also allowed more of his heat to escape, desperate to get the Italian out of the ice.

"I don't think Ivan is going to let this one go," Elizabeta said. "Does Vlad know?"

"I don't think he noticed," Lovino said.

With only a few black feathers here and there, Vlad's wings had become almost completely white.

…

The Nephilim all tensed when they heard footsteps approaching. They feared that it might be the demon. But when they realised that there was more than one set of footsteps, their fear grew, thinking that the demon had brought his friends along.

They held their breaths, and when the owners of the footsteps came into view, their eyes all bulged at the sight.

"Henri!" Bella called out in joy.

"Jay!" Alfred called out.

"Alex!" Hans called out.

The three mentioned smiled happily when they saw the others. Fletcher, however, had his eyes focused on Matthew, a frown on his face.

"What happened?" Fletcher asked.

"They got to him," Alfred said, glaring at Fletcher. "What took you so long? We've been waiting forever. If you'd arrived sooner…"

"We've been in here for days," Vash said.

"That's impossible," Henri said. "It's only been two hours at most."

"Remember what Vlad said," Alexandru said. "In Hell, demons manipulate the perception of time. Making it _seem_ longer than it actually is."

"So," Gupta said, "we _haven't_ been here that long?"

"No," Jason said.

Fletcher glared at the lock on the cell.

"It's a magic lock," Fletcher said. "It seals the magic of all those trapped inside."

"You don't say," Alfred said sarcastically.

"It can only be opened by telekinesis," Fletcher said. "Which I don't have."

"I do," Henri said. "Vlad's been showing me how to use it. I can lift light objects, but…"

"That would be enough."

Henri nodded, taking a deep breath. He turned his attention to the lock, a frown on his face.

"Could you hurry up?" Vash asked.

"Shush," Fletcher shushed. "He needs to concentrate."

The others were silent as Henri examined the lock. His eyes narrowed, and they could see some strain on his face. Finally they heard a click, and the cell door swung open.

Bella cheered, leaping up to embrace her brother. Lars followed slowly, but he also embraced the younger two. Alexandru rushed inside and gave Hans a hug, and Alfred slowly stood, carrying an unconscious Matthew.

Fletcher had his eyes trained on Matthew, which didn't go unnoticed by Alfred. He continued to glare at the angel.

"Stay away from him," Alfred said.

"What?" Fletcher asked.

"If you think I'm just going to let you…"

"I take it you know that he's my heartwing?"

Alfred glared, but said nothing. Now, it was Fletcher's turn to glare.

"The only one that can tell me to stay away from him is Matthew himself," Fletcher said. "And if _he_ says it, then I will gladly do so. However, since that's not the case, you can only consider yourself lucky that you're his brother, otherwise I would pry him from your arms and keep him safe from _you_."

Alfred looked taken aback, and Fletcher continued.

"Do you even realise how far an angel would go for their heartwing?" Fletcher asked. "We would _literally_ descend into the depths of Hell for them. And while this isn't the depths, we _are_ in Hell. I would sacrifice _everything_ , including my own brothers, just to make sure that he's safe." Fletcher sighed. "Which is why you would have to forgive Jack."

"Jack?" Lili repeated. "Why?"

"Jack let the demons and vampires in in the first place," Jason explained. "It's because the demons were threatening to hurt Marcello."

"Speaking of which," Henri said. "Where _is_ Marcello?"

"Isn't he with you?" Alfred asked.

They were all silent for a moment.

"We're going to have to look for him, aren't we?" Vash asked.

"If he's in the castle, then it's important to find him," Fletcher said. "I just wished that Vlad was with us. He's the only one capable of tracking him."

…

Kasem was bored. Michelle and Raj were playing go-fish, completely ignoring him. This was certainly getting on his nerves.

"If you're just going to ignore me, then why don't you let me go already?" Kasem asked.

"Did you hear something?" Raj asked.

"Nope," Michelle said, picking up a card.

"Me neither."

Kasem narrowed his eyes.

"How old are you two?" Kasem asked. "Because you're acting really immature."

"Does he expect us to play nice with the enemy?" Michelle asked Raj.

"You'd think he would know by now how to spend time in solitude," Raj added.

Kasem was _really_ starting to get annoyed by the two of them, but was powerless to do anything. This wasn't fair.

…

Vlad and Ivan fought, neither of them willing to yield to the other. When Ivan had threatened his heartwing, Vlad had snapped, thousands of years of torture finally reaching the boiling point.

Ivan was also furious. He had noticed the state of Vlad's wings, but he wasn't sure if Vlad was aware of them yet. If he was, then it made things worse.

The atmosphere of Hell was supposed to be able to taint angels, and especially fallen angels were susceptible. It also got worse with anger. And yet… Vlad wasn't being affected. In fact, for the first time in nine thousand years, he was much closer to being an angel than a demon.

Ivan knew who was to blame. Vlad's heartwing, Lovino. He should have killed him a lot sooner. Drive Vlad truly beyond the point of despair. But he couldn't do that now. Lovino had consumed the blood of life, which would ensure that he wouldn't be able to die for a few more days at least.

Unless…

Ivan was enraged by the fact that all of his hard work for the last nine thousand years, and even for the thousands of years before that, had been completely wasted. He knew that even if he tried, Vlad wouldn't be able to become a demon. Not even if his heartwing was killed. It would only fuel the fire.

And what's worse, not even the curse he had placed upon Vlad that would force his heartwing to reject him had taken effect. How was that even possible?

 _Everything_ that Ivan had done was a waste, and he had never felt so angry before in his entire existence. He didn't even care about it anymore. And he didn't care if Lucifer became angry about it either.

He needed _justice_.

…

Katyusha was fighting alongside the rest of Vlad's allies against the vampires. She only hoped that Ivan didn't do something terrible to Vlad this time.

She felt extremely responsible for everything Ivan had done to Vlad. And yet… She couldn't stop her brother. Both he and Natalia had no qualms about attacking her. Did they really hate her so much?

She shuddered, and the vampire she was fighting widened his eyes, before he was thrown away by an invisible force. She turned her attention to the side, where she saw Natalia, glaring at her hatefully.

"Hello, sister," Natalia said. "Tonight, you shall fall."

…

Marcello could hear the sounds of battle, but he could do nothing. Raivis glanced towards the door, sighing in annoyance.

"Vlad and Mr Ivan are really going at it," Raivis said. "It's weird. Vlad was an angel of life. They're not fighters."

Marcello narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Say, why do you work for him?" Marcello asked.

"Because I have no choice," Raivis said. "He's the demon that dragged me down. And he demands my loyalty."

"Doesn't mean that you should give it to him."

"Actually, it _does_. If a demon drags down an angel, but make no move to make the fallen angel or new demon their servants, then they don't have an obligation. But if they _do_ , then you're stuck. It's the same with you. If you become a demon while under Mr Ivan's control, then you'll be forced to serve him. Forever."

"That won't happen."

Raivis's face twisted slightly.

"Your optimism is disgusting," Raivis said. "Face it. You're not getting out of here."

"Maybe not," Marcello said, "but I know that whatever he has planned for Lovi, it won't work."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because, my fratellone is incredibly stubborn."

Raivis actually cracked a smile.

"Mr Ivan likes stubbornness," he said. "It makes it more fun for him to break their spirits."

…

Toris and Eduard were in the castle's dining room, which was rarely used. The two of them were calmly eating while the sounds of battle could be heard from all around the castle.

"I've never seen or felt Mr Ivan so mad," Toris said.

"Do you think that this time Vlad would be able to win?" Eduard asked.

"Who knows? If he _can_ , well… Remember, Mr Ivan is one of those that can kill him."

"Just like how he can kill _us_. I hope that Vlad would be able to get away from him. If _he_ can…"

"Then maybe _we_ can."

…

Gupta was the one leading the way, an arrow of light in front of him. He had mentioned that he had learned how to perform tracking spells, and the others decided to use it to their advantage in order to find Marcello, and then join the battle.

Alfred and Lars in particular wanted to join the fight.

"I hope everyone's okay," Lili said.

"I hope so too," Bella said. "Is Michelle alright?"

"She stayed back because she's not much of a fighter out of the water," Fletcher explained. "Raj stayed behind as well."

"Huh?" Vash asked. "Why?"

"It's too cold in Ivan's domain. The naga wouldn't have been able to handle it."

"But… Feliks is here?" Alfred asked.

"Yes."

"Now that you mention it," Hans said, "it _is_ pretty cold here."

"We need to find Marcello as fast as possible," Jason said. "The sooner we get everyone out, the sooner we can leave."

…

"Whoa…" Lovino breathed out, seeing Vlad block each of Ivan's swings beautifully, and counterattacking with an intense ferocity.

"I've never seen him fight like that before," Elizabeta said. "Not even against _me_."

"Well, you didn't like make the mistake of messing with his heartwing," Feliks said.

The ice imprisoning Lovino had almost completely melted, but the Italian was too focused on the battle. He wanted Vlad to win, as soon as possible. He wanted this nightmare to be over, both for Vlad's sake and his own.

He also wanted to find his brothers. He knew that Marcello had been captured, but he didn't know whether or not he was still alive. And he had _no_ idea what had happened to Feliciano. If that bastard did anything to hurt them…

Lovino almost stumbled, and he saw that he had been completely freed from the ice. But now he was cold and wet. He didn't really like that feeling.

"Like, I'll get you dry now," Feliks said.

"I still can't believe that Vlad would do this for me," Lovino said.

"Believe it," Elizabeta said. "When it comes to the heartwings, an angel would even go against their very nature in favour of protecting their most precious thing."

Lovino blushed at the description, and continued to watch the battle.

Vlad launched an attack towards Ivan, and the other parried it before kicking him away. Lovino's eyes widened when Ivan turned his attention towards him, his cold purple ice striking fear all the way through Lovino's body.

Vlad roared in rage again, rushing towards Ivan.

"Don't you _dare_!" Vlad shouted.

Lovino shuddered when he saw Ivan smiling. That smile promised everyone in the room that something bad was about to happen.

Lovino suddenly felt a jolt running through his body and he inadvertently screamed in pain. Vlad instinctively turned his attention towards him.

Lovino's eyes grew wide, and Elizabeta gasped as Feliks cried out in fury. Vlad only stared at him with wide eyes.

Ivan's sword had pierced through Vlad's heart.

 **I'm working on as many of my fics as possible. I'll start publishing Enough next week, and hopefully another one will be published soon. I'm the type of person that can't focus on one project at a time without getting bored.**


	46. Chapter 45

**Thanks to Iroyuki, Little Bird 8060, Time Turner, EllaAwkward, Minimandy125, Olivia Kirkland, Zaaze, BTT, ToolboxHDR, ScandinavianTrash, Adorable Reader and PorcelenaRota for reviewing.**

 **Now, on to the last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 45**

Time seemed to stand still. Vlad's eyes were frozen wide, and a burning pain came from his chest. It was worse than any other pain he had ever felt before.

Ivan smiled at him.

"All these years, _wasted_ ," Ivan said. "So I would need to get rid of the waste."

Ivan pulled his sword back. Vlad gasped, before he fell to the ground.

"Vlad!" Lovino shouted the moment he landed, hovering over him. "You… you can get better, right? Like those other times?"

Vlad shook his head.

"I-Ivan is one of the few that can k-kill me," Vlad said.

"No…" Lovino said. "I _won't_ let you die, you jerk! You can't do this to me!"

Vlad reached out and cupped Lovino's cheek. Lovino leaned into the touch.

"A-after all this time," Vlad said. "I'm glad that I could f-find you. And… About earlier. I-I love you too."

Lovino's eyes widened, and Vlad's closed. The hand that had been cupping Lovino's cheek fell to the side. His chest was completely covered in the silver liquid that was his blood.

"Vlad?" Lovino whispered. "Vlad, please."

He hadn't even been aware of the fact that Feliks had launched himself at Ivan and was attacking the demon mercilessly, but Ivan simply laughed, as though he found everything to be funny.

Ivan then landed next to Lovino, and Feliks screeched indignantly. Only then did the Italian realise what was going on, and he looked at Ivan with wide eyes.

"You know, this is all your fault," Ivan said cheerfully. "If you had told him that you hated him, like you _should_ have, then he wouldn't have had to die. He'd still be alive, and he'd be serving _me_. Just like how you would. So even if you lied, you could have still been with him."

"Bastard," Lovino whispered.

Ivan patted his head, making Lovino flinch.

"I cannot kill you yet," Ivan said. "But… I've decided that letting you live with the guilt is a suitable punishment. And I'll take you as soon as you mature into a demon. But for now, I think I'll leave."

Ivan disappeared, and Feliks landed beside him. He turned back from his true form, before falling to his knees.

"I'm sorry," Feliks said. "I would have attacked, but you were too close, and…"

"Don't blame yourself," Elizabeta said. "I didn't attack for the exact same reason."

Tears were gathering in Lovino's eyes as he looked down at Vlad. He didn't stop the first tear from falling, and once it did, he couldn't stop the other tears either.

"It's all my fault," Lovino whispered. "Vlad's dead because of m-me…"

That nightmare room was right. He _was_ poison to everyone that he met. And Vlad had suffered the worst because of it.

"Lovino," Feliks said. "Don't…"

Lovino ignored him, sobbing loudly as he buried his face against Vlad's chest, ignoring the blood now staining his face. He cried into Vlad's chest, feeling as though his heart had been ripped to shreds.

…

They were surprised when the vampires suddenly disappeared. It wasn't as though they had retreated. They had just… vanished.

Natalia cackled, causing Katyusha, who was fighting against her, as well as the other angels (and a fallen angel and Nephilim) to pause and stare at her.

"The battle is over," Natalia said. "Brother has won!"

Natalia then narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"We will finish this another time," Natalia said, before she vanished.

Feliciano whimpered.

"Vlad…" he said. "And what about Lovino?"

"The prophecy!" Nora exclaimed. "If it's realised…"

"We need to see what's happened," Alice said, before she ran in the same direction that Vlad had disappeared to earlier.

…

Raivis cocked his head to the side.

"Looks like the battle is over," he said. "And looks like I'll be leaving now. Send my regards to Jack."

Marcello's eyes widened as Raivis disappeared, and the final taunt seemed to echo around him. He had the feeling that something bad had happened. He jumped out of the bed in hopes of being able to see what happened, and he immediately tensed when he felt the cold air.

"No," he muttered. "I can't. Lovi…"

In spite of the cold, Marcello made his way to the door, and he opened it. He was a little disturbed by the fact that his fingers were already numb, but he gritted his teeth and forced his way out of the room.

He was a little surprised by the fact that the door wasn't locked, before figuring that they had probably counted on the fact that the room had been so cold to keep him inside.

Hugging himself and rubbing his arms for warmth, Marcello started walking in a random direction, hoping that _somehow_ , he would find his way to Lovino.

…

"I think we're getting close," Jason said, looking at the arrow of light.

The group heard a gasp. Alfred and Jason shared a look, before Jason ran ahead. Since Alfred was still carrying an unconscious Matthew, he couldn't do the same.

The others ran ahead, with Alfred following at a slightly slower pace. They rounded a corner to see Jason hugging a shivering Marcello. Bella immediately approached, seeing the bluish tint to the Italian's lips, as well as the pale skin.

"What happened?" she asked in alarm.

"C-cold r-room," Marcello said.

The others were confused by the statement, but Alexandru looked thoughtful.

"I think I heard my brother mentioning once that there's a room here that they keep extra cold," he said. "That's probably where he was."

Marcello nodded his head, and Jason held him tighter.

"We need to get you warmed up," Jason said. "Where's Feliks when you need him?"

"W-wait," Marcello said. "L-Lovi…"

"He has a point," Fletcher said. "We need to find Vlad and his heartwing right away. Who _knows_ what Ivan had done to them?"

…

When they finally arrived at the throne room, they were shocked by the sound of Lovino's crying, with Elizabeta and Feliks standing over him, looking completely lost. Feliciano ran forward, before he dove down to hug his brother.

"Fratello," Feliciano said. "W-what happened?"

"H-he's dead," Lovino whispered. "He's _dead_ , and it's all my fault!"

Alice and Nora ran up to them. Alice brought her hand to her mouth, while Nora looked shocked.

"Why would Ivan do this?" Alice asked. "After all this time…"

"It's all my fault," Lovino repeated.

"Elizabeta, explain," Nora said.

"When we arrived here, Vlad and Ivan were already fighting," Elizabeta said. "I never saw him fight like that. It was impressive."

"Go on," Alice said.

"I think it has something to do with Vlad's wings. And…"

"Lovino said he told Vlad something that Ivan totally didn't like," Feliks said. "Like, what was it?"

Lovino sniffed, his face red, but that could be due to the crying.

"I l-love him," Lovino said.

"Oh, Lovi…" Feliciano said sadly, rubbing his brother's back.

"The curse was averted," Alice said. "That would _definitely_ set Ivan off."

"Ivan probably thought that there was nothing he could do to change the situation in his favour," Elizabeta continued. She then turned to Alice and Nora. "I hate to say this, but… Could you two bring him back?"

Lovino snapped his head towards the two, looking hopeful. Alice and Nora exchanged a look before they hung their heads.

"I'm afraid that we can't," Alice said. "The touch of life and breath of life… It doesn't work on other angels of life. Even the blood of life isn't as effective. If Vlad was still _dying_ we might have been able to save him, but as it stands…"

"There's nothing we can do," Lovino said, before he started crying even more harshly.

They heard running footsteps, and the rest of the Nephilim, along with Fletcher and Alexandru, could be seen. They stared at the scene mutely, except for Alexandru, who ran forward.

"Brother!" he shouted.

He stopped just short of the corpse, tears in his eyes.

"No…" he whispered.

The others approached cautiously, forming a circle. Lovino wasn't the only one crying, as most of the others had tears streaming down their faces. No one said a word.

And no one noticed how the few black feathers that remained became pure white.

Lovino was startled when the chest beneath him suddenly moved, accompanied by a loud gasp. Lovino stared with wide eyes as Vlad breathed deeply a few times, before opening his eyes.

"V-Vlad?" Lovino whispered.

Vlad turned to Lovino and gave a small smile. Lovino immediately launched at him.

"What the hell, you jerk!" Lovino shouted. "What did you think you were doing?! Don't you dare die and then come back! I have half a mind to kick your ass!"

Vlad's face was twisted in pain, as Lovino had started pounding on his chest. He was only stopped by Heracles, who pulled him away.

"I'm sure Vlad would be able to explain this," Heracles said. "Right?"

Vlad was panting, and after a while he nodded.

"Lovino possesses the tears of life," Vlad explained. "It's the one thing that Lovino doesn't easily surrender. And our heartwing connection made it stronger, allowing it to work on me, though it took a while. What did I miss? Where's Ivan?"

"Ivan left," Elizabeta said. "We don't know where he's gone."

"But, like, there's something else you need to see," Feliks said.

Vlad frowned in confusion, before Feliks gestured to one of his wings. Vlad's eyes widened, and he slowly sat up.

"How is this possible?" Vlad asked.

"I think it was because of your heartwing," Alice said, glancing towards Lovino. "His influence allowed the light to return to your heart, and all of the bitterness you've been harbouring had disappeared."

"Or it could be because you were never meant to fall in the first place," Dimitri said. "We all know that you didn't deserve it, and then the curse that Ivan placed on you…"

"My guess is that he helped you get rid of the curse," Nora said.

Lovino's eyes were wide, and sensing that he had calmed down, Heracles released him. Lovino felt something on his hand and looked down, seeing Vlad's hand clasping his.

"See, Lovino?" Vlad asked. "You were worried over nothing."

Lovino blushed slightly, before he looked down.

"I know I should be mad that you didn't tell me," Lovino said. "But… I understand. You told me about the curse. About how you were doomed to have your heartwing – me – reject you. And… I think that if you _had_ told me at the beginning, when we learned all of this shit… I _might_ have. I-it wouldn't be personal, just… me being in denial."

"Which is why Alfred is staying quiet," Jason said, looking towards his brother.

"Huh?" Alfred asked. "What do you mean?"

"Admit it. You would have been calling Lovino out because of how sappy he's being. And then you'd tease him, and he'd get so angry that he would yell 'I hate you' and storm off. Like every time you found out he had a crush on someone."

Alfred chuckled sheepishly, while Lovino was glaring at him, a blush on his face.

"I'm glad you're not mad," Vlad said, pulling everyone's attentions back to him. "I couldn't stand it if you hated me. And simply being around you was enough for me."

Lovino's blush darkened, and he averted his eyes.

"You're lucky you're already hurt," Lovino said. "Otherwise I'd be kicking your ass for saying something like that."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"Could someone please help me up?" Vlad asked. "I seem to be suffering from a case of diminished strength, after suffering from another affliction called 'dying'."

Henri winced.

"I can relate," he said.

Lovino and Heracles helped Vlad up. It escaped no one's notice how Vlad would wince in pain, and the other two tried very hard to be careful, neither wanting to hurt Vlad more than he already was.

In the end, Vlad was leaning against Lovino, breathing heavily with his arm draped over the latter's shoulder. He had retracted his wings in order to make it easier for them, but Lovino was still suffering a little under Vlad's weight.

It had been a long night for everyone.

"What do you say we all go home?" Vlad asked.

…

"What the hell?!" Alistair shouted. "We could have…"

"Silence," Ivan said.

He had brought the vampires to one of his fortresses on earth, and luckily Toris, Eduard and Raivis were smart enough to follow. Natalia had also followed.

He had also brought Kasem, who looked a little irked, since he was still bound and Ivan had no intention of letting him out anytime soon. Yong Soo and Leon looked worriedly towards their brother, but they knew that they wouldn't be allowed to go against their master's orders.

"Vlad is no longer able to become a demon," Ivan said. "So I killed him. And Lovino will most likely wallow in his grief, and then mature into a demon. I will take him back then."

Antonio and Francis were a little sour that they had lost Lovino.

"What are you going to do now?" Natalia asked.

"This world isn't toxic enough," Ivan said. "I think that can change. We want to make this a second Hell, do we not?"

"How do we do that?" Toris asked.

"Breed new vampires."

The vampires perked up at this.

"You are no longer limited to invitations," Ivan said. "So you can sire as many people as you want. Without hunger interfering. And there are other Nephilim in this world. We just need to find them before the angels do, da?"

…

Raj and Michelle jumped slightly in surprise when a portal appeared in the living room. They watched as one by one the ones that had gone to Hell, as well as the ones they had gone to rescue, stepped out. And they also noticed Vlad's predicament.

"What happened?" Michelle asked in concern.

"Long story," Vlad said. "I'll tell you in the morning."

"Jack!" Marcello cried out, rushing towards the unconscious angel on the couch. "W-what's wrong with him? W-why is he still…?"

"He was rejected by his heartwing," Jett explained. "You."

"I-I didn't mean to. It was that demon. I like you, Jack. I-I don't hate you. And I don't blame you for what happened. I-it's _my_ fault, anyway. If I wasn't so weak…"

Lovino swallowed thickly, recognising himself in his younger brother. He turned to Vlad.

"Is there something we can do?" Lovino asked.

"Considering _I_ was the one that dragged him back," Alice said, "no. The touch of life didn't heal him. But I don't think this has ever happened before."

"There's also the issue of him letting the demons in in the first place," Fletcher sighed. "Why don't we leave him here for now, and after we spoke with the others…"

"Do you have to go?" Jason asked.

"We kind of have to recover from our time in Hell," Jett said. "But we have a _lot_ of explaining to do."

Vlad grinned.

"I'm just glad it's not me," he said.

"Yeah," Elizabeta said dryly. "Lucky you…"

Hans yawned, and Roderich looked down at him.

"I think it's time you return to bed," Roderich said, before scooping the boy into his arms.

Hans snuggled against his father's shoulder, and a few of the others smiled at the endearing scene.

"I think we _all_ need to go to bed," Vlad said. "It's been a long night. For some, I get the feeling it was longer than others."

"Sounds about right," Lars said, stretching his arms.

Fletcher was looking at Matthew, before he turned his attention to Alfred.

"Take care of him for me," Fletcher said. "And when I get back, we'll talk about this properly."

Alfred frowned, before he yawned and reluctantly nodded.

"I'll just take Mattie to his room, and then I'll hit the hay," he said.

There were general nods of consent, and one by one they left. Marcello was staring at Jack, a sad look on his face. Heracles sighed, before he picked up the comatose angel.

"I think there's still an empty bed available," Heracles said. "We can't leave him on the couch."

"Could you please take him to my room?" Marcello asked. "I don't want to leave him alone."

Heracles nodded, and they went along with Feliciano.

Soon, the only ones in the living room were Vlad and Lovino, with Vlad having settled in an armchair.

"Aren't you coming?" Lovino asked.

"In a while," Vlad said. "There's something I want to do first."

…

Ludwig chuckled.

"It would seem that Vlad was successful in his endeavour," Ludwig said.

"Great," Miguel said. "Do you think he'll keep his promise?"

"Of course he will. He's bound by it. But if he doesn't deliver within a week, we'll start making demands."

…

Vlad had been sitting in the clearing for a while now, simply staring ahead of him. He had a small smile on his face. Everything had gone better than expected.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. His smile widened when he saw Lovino approaching him.

"What exactly are you doing out here?" Lovino asked.

"There's just one last thing I want to check out," Vlad said. "Why aren't you in bed?"

Lovino sat down next to him. He sighed.

"I can't sleep," Lovino admitted. "I guess I'm still trying to process everything."

Vlad nodded in understanding, and the two lapsed into silence.

"Are you still going to do it?" Lovino asked.

"Do what?" Vlad asked.

"Find and train others like us?"

Vlad sighed, before he nodded his head.

"I want to train you and others like you," Vlad said. "Too many demons have showed interest in you. I don't want anyone to fall to them."

"Okay…"

The two lapsed into silence again. Vlad smiled when he saw the first rays of the rising sun. Lovino sighed.

"Let's get you inside then," Lovino said.

"No," Vlad said. "Not yet."

Lovino was perplexed for a moment before his eyes widened.

"You want to see if that curse is broken too," Lovino said in realisation.

Vlad nodded his head in response.

The two simply sat there for a while. Vlad brushed his hand against Lovino's, and the latter blushed, before accepting the hand.

Finally, when the first rays of the sun reached them, Vlad took a deep breath. And when it passed over him without hurting him, he laughed in relief.

"It's over," he said. "It's really over."

"Y-yeah," Lovino said. "Um… I love you."

Vlad turned to him with a smile, before he pecked the other on the cheek, causing Lovino to blush darkly.

"I love you too," Vlad said.

 **And it's finished. I'm kind of sad to see it end. And I think I ended another story with a possibility for a sequel, which is completely unlikely. But I think I'd be willing to do oneshots on request.**

 **I also posted the prologue for Enough, so go check that out as well.**


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